Decisions
by Brulian4ever
Summary: Sequal to The Right Decision/The Wrong Decision. Takes place three years after the wedding. Please review! Brathan. I'm rating it M because later chapters may get racy I'm not sure yet but better safe than sorry
1. Three Years Later

**A/N - OK so here it is, the sequel to the The Right Decision/The Wrong Decision (which you may want to read if you haven't already done so but you don't have to). It's three years after the wedding. The first chapter is in Nathan's POV and the second is in Brooke's. I think that's how I'm going to do the rest of the story. One chapter from Nathan, one chapter from Brooke but the story will always be continuing. It won't be the same scene told from each of their POV's like the other story if that makes since. The chapters are kind of short but once I get further along in the story I'm sure they'll get longer. Anyway, please let me know what you think and if you want me to continue because once I started writing all of these ideas started to flow so I really want to hear what you all thinks. Thanks!**

**XO**

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'm sitting in my living room staring at the glass of scotch in my hand, trying to wrap my head around the bomb that Lucas just dropped on me. Brooke Davis was coming home. After three years, a handful of letters and a few brief phone calls to Haley and Peyton, Brooke, my Brooke, was coming home. I can hear Haley in the kitchen singing quietly to herself as she cleans up the dinner dishes. She's happy with the news of course and why wouldn't she be? She hasn't seen her best friend in years - not since she disappeared shortly after the wedding, claiming she needed a change. It was Brooke's way of removing any temptation, solidifying my marriage to Haley permanently. In her mind, she was ensuring our happiness and she was right for the most part. I glance up as Haley enters the room and begins collecting coffee mugs left over from Lucas and Peyton's visit. The last three years with Haley have been great, amazing even. We've even been talking about trying for kids and yet I can't stop my heart from racing at the thought of seeing Brooke again. Will there ever be a time when I'm not affected by her?

"I'm so happy Brooke is coming home!" Haley's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "I can't believe that she's been gone for three years and in less then a week she'll be back in Tree Hill." I smile at Haley's enthusiasm. I wish that I could share in it but my head is still spinning. It was easy when Brooke wasn't around. It was easy to forget how beautiful she was; how she felt in my arms; the way her body fit mine perfectly when we made love… well maybe forget isn't the right word because that's not something I'll ever forget. But it was easy not to think about her as much where she wasn't around. What do I do now when I have to see her every day? The carefully placed walls that I've built around my feelings for Brooke Davis are already starting to crack and she's not even here yet. What happens when I see her? Shit! Haley's still talking and I haven't heard a word. I have to get out of here. I need air. I need to breathe. I need to compose myself before Haley starts asking me what's wrong. I can see the question starting to form in her eyes and I quickly stand, plastering a smile on my face.

"It's great Brooke's coming home." My voice comes out more than a little stiff. How the hell did I keep an affair with her best friend a secret for eight months? My lying skills seem to have dulled in the last three years - and apparently in my warped mind the inability to lie convincingly to my wife is a bad thing. Nice. I really need to get out of here. "I'm going to go for a quick run before it gets too late." It amuses me slightly that I immediately fall back to the excuse I used every time I wanted to spend a few hours with Brooke. God I really disgust myself sometimes. I change into my running clothes and quickly kiss Haley's cheek before stepping out into the cool North Carolina air. I slip my I-pod on and slowly start to run. I know exactly where I'm going and don't stop until I hit the beach. I pull the ear buds from my ear as I walk across the sand and slowly sit down, staring out at the water. This is where it all began. This very spot is where I started to fall in love with Brooke Davis.

_3 years earlier_

"_Davis, get out of the water. It's fucking freezing! You're going to get pneumonia or something!" I call to Brooke, who at the moment is splashing happily in the ocean in nothing but her bra and boy shorts. She is seriously going to get hypothermia, I'm sure of it. "Brooke!" I call again and she finally looks at me, rolls her eyes and starts back toward me with water dripping off her perfect body. My eyes wander to her chest and I quickly look away. Jesus! What the hell am I doing? It must have been that last shot we did at Tric because I am definitely buzzing. I look back at Brooke. She has to be feeling something because she matched me shot for shot and she's pretty tiny. "Brooke, what the hell are we doing here?" I shrug my jacket off with a little difficulty and wrap it around her now slightly shivering form._

"_God, Nate, you're such a spoil sport." She murmurs and her breath tickles my neck as I pull her into my arms in an attempt to warm her up a bit. "But if you must know…" She pulls away, sways slightly on her feet, and finally lets her self fall easily onto the sand, patting the ground next to her. "You're soon to be wife asked me to keep an eye on you while she was out of town because we both know how hopeless you are when left to your own devices." She laughs her husky laugh._

"_Oh, I see how it is." I shake my head and sit next to her. She smells really good. Focus Nathan, Christ! "So, that whole 'Come on, Nate, we haven't hung out in so long' was all a lie." I elbow her side and try not to think about the fact that she is sitting next to me in nothing but her underwear and my jacket. "Thanks, Davis, good to know where I stand with you." She laughs again and I feel a little light headed. Hmmm… I really shouldn't have had that lost shot. _

"_Oh, Natey, I'm sorry." Her arms are around me before I know what's happening. God she has soft skin. "You know you're my favourite Scott." She smiles angelically at me. "At least until Haley becomes one." She laughs again._

"_Laugh it up Davis!" I send her a playful glare._

"_Well, I was still Mrs. Nathan Scott first so I'll always be the best Scott." She looks at me with a playful gleam in her eyes and through the haze that is my brain it takes a minute for it to sink in._

"_That's right! 2nd__ grade, we got married in my parents' back yard." I let out a low chuckle. "I'd forgotten all about that."_

"_Yup!" Brooke grins, her dimples on full display and I'm distracted for a second at the sight of them. "So, there you were mine first, and Haley James-soon-to-be-Scott better not forget it." She laughs that husky laugh again and I join her, wrapping my arm around her. Somewhere in the midst of it all we end up lying down with her head resting on my chest and my fingers running gently through her wet hair. My brain is telling me to stop this right now. It is so not appropriate to be like this with my fiancé's best friend, but the alcohol and uncomfortable stirring in my gut won't let me move. Brooke shifts her body weight and her breasts brush against my chest. That's when it happens. I pray she doesn't feel it but a second later she lifts her head and looks up at me before looking down again. That's it I'm so busted. She's going to kill me. I can't even look at her. Any second now she's going to jump up disgusted and tell me right where to go. But she's not moving. I slowly look at her and her green eyes are clouded with obvious arousal. My body moves of its own free will and the next thing I know I've rolled us over so Brooke's soft body us under mine. What the hell am I doing? I need to stop this right now but as I search Brooke's eyes for any kind of doubt, I find none and I something inside of me lets go. I capture her lips, our tongues battle for dominance. My hands roam her body as she clenches my back and pulls me closer, sending us both over the edge._

It was only supposed to be that one time. The next morning we woke up and Brooke was devastated, disgusted with herself. We agreed to never speak of it again. It was like it never happened until I saw her with Owen at Tric and showed up at her door at 3 a.m. like a jealous boyfriend. She fought me ever step of the way but I kept on pursuing her. The whole thing was my fault. If I had let her go nothing ever would have happened. But the first time I heard that raspy voice say 'I love you', I knew it was worth it. Whatever happened, loving Brooke Davis was worth it. A car door slamming in the distance brings me back to reality and I glance at my watch with a sigh. I've been gone almost two hours and Haley is probably starting to worry. I pull myself to my feet and stare at the water for another few moments. I turn to leave and freeze when I see her standing behind me.

"Brooke?" I feel like I'm staring at a ghost. She's exactly as I remember her and still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. There are tears in her eyes as she gives me a tentative smile.

"Hi Nathan." My eyes close involuntarily. Her voice is like music to my ears. There is nothing sweeter than the sound of my name on Brooke Davis' lips.

"Brooke…" I whisper a little shakily and take a hesitant step towards her. She drops her head and her eyes drift shut for just a second, as though she's final lost the inner battle she's been having with herself. The tears she's been holding back suddenly burst and the next thing I know she's throwing her arms around my neck. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding as I wrap my arms around her and suddenly my world makes sense again.


	2. Reunion

Tree Hill hasn't changed much since I've been gone, not that I expected it to. People always say that places seem smaller when you go back but that's not the case. Nothing in Tree Hill is small to me. Every corner of this town has too many memories - good and bad - for it to ever be small. I glance at my watch as I pull my care into the parking spot. It's getting late, I really should get back to Karen's soon. God Bless Karen for taking me in until the house is ready. Plus, El will wonder where I am if he wakes up and I'm not there. Not that he'll wake up though, he could sleep through almost anything. Still, I do need to get back. I just have one place I need to go before everyone knows I'm in town and the circus begins. I slowly climb out of the car, shut the door and make my way towards the sand. I can see a solitary figure standing at the edge of the water as I approach and my heart stops. It's him. He doesn't even have to turn around and I know it's him. I would know him anywhere. He looks deep in thought as I approach and I don't want to disturb him. I just want to look at him for a moment. My sweet Nathan. He sighs before turning around. He freezes when he sees me and I can tell his completely shocked. I can't really blame him, I'm sure I'm the last person he was expecting to see. God knows I wasn't expecting to see him tonight.

"Brooke?" His voice brings back way too many memories for my liking and tears immediately fill my eyes. I don't know if it's possible, but I think he's gotten even more handsome in the last three years. I can't help but smile a little.

"Hi Nathan." My voice is almost shaking I'm so nervous. My heart is racing just by being in the same vicinity as him and the way he's looking at me right now would make it so easy for me to fall back into old patterns. But I can't give in. I have to keep my head. I have to think about Elliot. Everything I do affects him now. It's not just me anymore.

"Brooke…" Nathan takes a step toward me. That's all it takes to break me. God, I am so unbelievably weak when it comes to this man. I close my eyes momentarily. Why do I bother fighting? When it comes to Nathan Scott, it always seem to be a loosing battle. Tears spill down my cheeks. I've spend three years dreaming about this moment, wondering what it would be like to see him again. Oh screw it! I throw myself towards him and cling to him as tightly as I possibly can. His arms circle my waist without hesitation and I revel in the feeling. God, I'd forgotten what this feels like. I'd forgotten how right it always felt to be in Nathan's arms. I bury my face in his shoulder, my tears soaking his shirt. "Brooke. Oh God, Brooke." He murmurs over and over into my hair and I hold onto him tighter, breathing in his scent. He even smells the same. It's like no time has past at all. After several minutes, I reluctantly pull away and for the first time really look up into his eyes. I've missed those eyes. "What are you doing here?" His hands are still on my waist and he's clearly still in shock. "Lucas said you wouldn't be here until next week."

"Yeah, I just wanted a few days to compress. Karen was kind enough to take me in. She's the only one who knows I'm in town." I shrug. "It's a lot you know. Coming home after all this time." He nods and smiles a little, brushing the hair form my and I'm jolted by how easy and familiar it feels. How can he still have this effect on me? After all these years, how can Nathan Scott still make my heart race and my head spin the way it is right now?

"I missed you Brooke." His voice is low. I can hear the confliction that I know he's feeling because I'm feeling it too.

"I missed you too." We're both silent for a moment. "Ugh, you were about to go when I showed up. Please don't let me keep you." I almost laugh when he looks at me as though I've completely lost my mind. Although, to be honest, there is a part of me that wishes he would go because I can't think clearly when he's around. Of course, there's a bigger part of me, a much more selfish part, that needs him to stay because three years away from him has been torture and so much has happened that he doesn't even know about. "OK." I nod. I slowly sit down and pat the ground next to me. He smirks a little and I know he's thinking the same thing I am. He lowers himself next to me and I can feel the warmth emanate from his body. "How's Haley?" I ask, partly because I want to avoid the conversation I know he wants to have and partly because I really have missed her. Just because I am the worst kind of friend possible, it doesn't mean I don't love her.

"She's good." He says after a moment as he kicks at the sand a little. "She's happy you're moving home. She's really missed you." I smile sadly. I don't deserve her missing me.

"So, she doesn't hate me for leaving?" I know it's a selfish thing to ask and in light of the other things I've done to Haley, moving out of Tree Hill is the least of my worries on why she would hate me.

"No, she doesn't hate you." Nathan's blue eyes are soft as he turns to look at me. "She just missed you." He says again and pauses as his eyes search mine. "Why did you leave, Brooke?" His voice cracks a little and there it is, the question I've been trying to avoid since he turned around.

"You know I had to Nate." God, what the hell am I doing here? I left Tree Hill to get away from this. I've been back in town a few hours and already Nathan and I are right back where we were. This is never going to end.

"You just left without a word. We barely got a goodbye." I can hear the pain in his voice and it hurts to know that I'm the cause of it. I hate that I'm the reason he's hurting.

"I couldn't be here. It hurt to much watch you with her. I knew that if I was around, you would always be glancing over your shoulder wondering what if. You and Haley deserved a chance to be happy." I brush the tears from my face. "And I was right, you guys are happy."

"Where have you been?" He asks the next logical, safe question and I'm grateful for that. I don't know if I can handle Nathan pressing me any further about why I left.

"I went to California first, spent some time with my folks. Then I remembered I couldn't stand them so I moved to New York." Nathan laughs and my heart is warmed just a little when I see his smile. I didn't want this for him. I know that my return to Tree Hill has thrown his whole life into chaos and I didn't want that but I needed to come home and I wanted to believe that after three years he and I could pretend like those eight months never happened.

"Why did you decide to come back?" He glances at me. There's a tiny spark in his eyes; a tiny piece of him that wonders if I came back because of him.

"Ugh, well, you know I loved living in Manhattan." I pause for a moment, wondering how to explain this. "But I wanted a home and you can't build the kind of home I want in the middle of the city." My mind wandered to Elliot. My biggest reason for moving. "Plus, I had to think about Elliot and where would be the best the place for us to start our life over."

"Elliot?" Nathan looks at me slightly confused. "Is he your boyfriend? Husband?" He glances at my bare left hand and I would have laughed out loud if I hadn't seen the anguish in his eyes. He thinks I moved on. He couldn't have been further from the truth if he tried.

"Nathan, Elliot's my son."


	3. Welcome Home

I feel like I haven't slept in days. I haven't had a full night's sleep since I saw Brooke. Haley's starting to get really concerned and I don't know what to tell her. I can't tell her the truth. I can't very well say 'Oh yeah, I ran into Brooke the other day. She has a son; a son who could very well be mine but I'm not really sure because she avoided the question like the plague and then bolted when I tried to force her hand'. That would go over great. Haley would totally understand that. I have to talk to Brooke. I have to know. I have to know if that's the real reason she left. I have to find out if Elliot is mine.

"Nathan? Are you going to shower? We're supposed to be at Karen's in like 45 minutes." I jump at the sound of Haley's voice and look up to find her standing in the door to my study. "Brooke's welcome home dinner. It's tonight. You didn't forget, did you?" I almost laugh out loud at the absurdity of that question. No, I most definitely did not forget.

"Yeah, sorry Hales, I'm going now." I force a smile as I stand and head toward the door. As I walk past, Haley touches my arm and I look at her to find her watching me with obvious concern.

"Nate, are you OK? You've been so distant the last few days and I know you're not sleeping." She gently touches my cheek.

"It's nothing Hales, I'm fine." I need to get away from her. I can't take the loving, concerned look in her eyes. It's too much. "I'm going to shower, then we can go. I know you want to get there as early as possible to see Brooke."

"Yeah." She perks up immediately at the sound of Brooke's name. "I can't wait to see her." If Elliot turns out to be mine, she won't be smiling for long.

"I'll be quick." I turn and practically bolt from the room and heading toward the bathroom. I close the door and turn on the shower before stripping off my clothes. I step under the stream of hot water. I lean my hand against the wall and let the water fall over me. Maybe I handled the whole situation with Brooke wrong? I don't know.

"_Nathan, Elliot's my son." Her voice is so quiet I can barely hear her. _

"_Your son?" I'm sure I must have heard her wrong. Brooke has a son? Brooke has a son. "You have son?"_

"_Yeah." Brooke nods, a full smile on her face, the love she feels for her child written all over her face. "Elliot Keith Davis. I call him Eli for short or El sometimes." She slowly looks at me and her face is glowing. _

"_You named him after Keith?" A small smile forms on my lips. I can't believe she named her son after my Uncle Keith._

"_Keith was a great man. I know how much you and Luke loved him. I loved him too. I wanted my son to have a connection to him." She swallows hard and I can see tears forming in her eyes. _

"_How old is he?" I finally ask the question that I've been thinking since she told me about the little boy's existence. She's quiet for a long time as she stares out at the water, I can see her mind working overtime as she tries to form an answer. "Brooke…"_

"_He's almost 2 ½." She swallows hard and looks away from me. I don't even need to do the math to know what that means. My mind is racing and I'm finding it hard to breathe. _

"_Brooke, is he…" I can't even say it. It can't be true. Can it? Did she know? Is that why she left?_

"_Nathan, please don't ask me." She looks at me with tears streaming down her face. "Please, if I ever meant anything to you, please don't ask me that question."_

"_I have a right to know." My heart is pounding in my chest and I'm trying not to focus on the fact that there's a big part of me that wants her to say yes; that wants her son to be mine, consequences be damned. _

"_Nate, I can't." She shakes her head again. "I have to go." She scrambles to her feet and I quickly follow, catching her arm and forcing her to look at me. "Nathan, please…" she pleads with me and I can't help but pull her into my arms. I can't handle seeing her upset. "I have to go." She pushes away from me and I don't try to stop her. I just stay rooted to the ground as I watch her hurry away from me._

Maybe I should have forced her to tell me. Maybe I should have held her there until she told me the truth. If I'm being honest, I'm not even entirely sure what answer I want from her. Logically, I should want that little boy to belong to someone else but after everything I can't bring myself to wish that he was anything but mine. Sighing heavily, I turn off the water and step out of the shower wrapping a towel around my waist. I wipe the steam off the mirror and stare at my reflection. God, everything is so messed up. What does it say about my marriage when I'm wishing that I had a child with another woman? Shaking my head, I head into the bedroom to get dressed. Will Brooke bring him tonight? Will I know just by looking at him that he's mine? Does he look like me? Does he look like Brooke? Is he the perfect combination of the two of us? Or does he look like a stranger? My heart clenches involuntarily. Will he have Brooke's dimples and another man's eyes? My stomach turns at the thought. Well I'm about to find out. I take one last breath, grab my wallet and keys off the dresser and head downstairs.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOHTOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

I barely have the car in park and Haley's already got the door open, jumping out. I follow her at a slightly less enthusiastic pace, wondering what's waiting for me in the house. "Hello!" Haley calls as she opens the front door and steps inside. There are voices coming from the kitchen and a second later Brooke appears in the kitchen door. Tears fill her eyes as she and Haley lock eyes. "Tigger!" Haley's rushing down the hall and Brooke meets her halfway. The two women hug tightly and I have mixed emotions watching them.

"Haley James-Scott, look at you." Brooke pulls away first. "I've missed you so much. You look great."

"Thanks. So do you." Haley hugs her again and Brooke's eyes meet mine for the first time over Haley's shoulder. She quickly looks away as Haley pulls back. "And I'm not going to say anything right now about you disappearing for three years." Brooke blushes a little.

"I'm sorry Tutor Girl." She says quietly and I'm wondering how long she is going to ignore the fact that I'm standing right here.

"I'll let it go, but don't you ever do that again." Haley grins and Brooke nods shyly before turning to look at me.

"Hey Scott." She says slowly, her eyes questioning me silently. She's wondering if I told Haley about our chance meeting at the beach. She should really know me better than that.

"It's good to see you Davis. Welcome home." I cross the short distance separating us and pull her easily into my arms. Brooke Davis really has done a number on me because I should be furious with her right now and yet holding her still feels like the most natural, right thing in the world - even with my wife standing two feet away from us.

"Thanks Nate." She whispers and I don't miss the double meaning. I slowly release her and she looks up at me for a moment before turning back to Haley. "Come on, you guys are the first ones here. Karen's in the kitchen, I'm pretending to help her finish dinner." Haley laughs as Brooke flashes her dimples and again she has me mesmerized. I follow the two into the kitchen.

"Hello Nathan, Haley!" Karen greets us with a smile as she stirs the sauce she's making.

"Hi Karen." Haley hugs Lucas' mother quickly. "Can I help with anything."

"Absolutely not." Karen waves her away. "You catch up with Brooke, I'm fine." She glances at Brooke. "Oh, but before you get too comfortable, Brooke I think I heard Eli while you were in the hall."

"Oh…" Is it just me or did Brooke's face just go white as a ghost? "OK." She smiles and stands up and in a flash she seems fine. Maybe I imagined it.

"Eli?" Haley looks from Karen to Brooke and back again and I almost laugh. That must have been my expression when Brooke first told me.

"Um, yeah, my son." Brooke says slowly and Haley's mouth drops in shock.

"You have a son?" She says in complete disbelief. She looks at me and I have to fake shock quickly, I really don't want to explain why I already know. She whips back to Brooke. "You have a son? Where is he? I want to meet him." She jumps to her feet with a huge smile. "Brooke, oh my God! That's fantastic." She hugs Brooke again and I try to catch her eye again over Haley's shoulder but this time she steadfastly refuses to meet my gaze.

"I'll be right back." Brooke excuses herself. This is it. What do I do if he's mine? What if he looks like me? What do I do? What do I say to Haley? Karen? What the hell do I say to that little boy? Brooke walks back into the kitchen, the raven-haired toddler in her arms snuggled into her shoulder. My heart skips a beat at the sight of them. In another life they would have been my family. She hesitates for just a second as her eyes meet mine before looking down at the boy. "Elliot, sweetheart, there are some people I want you to meet." He slowly lifts his head to look at his mother. I still can't see his face. I glance at Haley, who is watching the interaction between mother and son with fascination and awe. "This is Haley." Brooke says quietly and Elliot slowly turns to look at her. My heart leaps in my chest when I see his face for the first time.

"Hi Elliot, it's so nice to meet you." Haley says softly. Elliot smiles, showing off the dimples he inherited from his mother. "Brooke, he's beautiful."

"Thanks." Brooke smiles proudly at him before looking at Haley. "I think so." Elliot looks away from Haley and his eyes land on me. My heart is pounding as I look at him before pulling my eyes up to Brooke as she slowly takes a step in my direction. "And this is Nathan." She whispers to him.

"Hi Elliot." I smile down at him as he peers up at me and pulls out the Brooke Davis smile again. He's definitely his mother's son. "Can I call you Eli?" I ask quietly and he looks at me for a second before nodding. "It's nice to meet you Eli." I stand up straight again and my eyes meet Brooke's again. "Brooke…" My voice is barely a whisper.

"Brooke, can I?" Haley appears next to us, holding her arms out to Elliot.

"What?" Brooke looks a little confused before shaking herself out of it. "Oh, yeah, of course…" She nods and kisses Elliot's cheek before Haley takes him and heads into the living room. At that moment the doorbell rings.

"That must be the others." Karen's voice causes me to jump. Jesus, I'd forgotten she was even there. "Excuse me." She squeezes past us and heads toward the front door.

"Brooke, we have to talk." I whisper as soon as Karen is out of earshot. My voice is nearing desperation and Brooke looks up at me with a conflicted expression. "Brooke, you owe me that much."

"Nathan…" She drops her head and swallows hard. "I…" She looks back up at me.

"B. Davis! You better get your butt out here and give me a hug!" Peyton's voice coming from the hall causes Brooke to snap out of whatever spell she was momentarily under and she looks up at me with wide, slightly scared, eyes.

"Not now." She turns to leave the kitchen but I grab her arm to stop her. I need to hear her say it. That's the only way I'll truly be able to believe it. "Nathan, later. Please don't do this now." She looks like she's about to cry and it tears at me. I can't handle her in any kind of pain. Besides, she's right. We can't do this now. No matter how badly I want to. I nod slowly dropping her arm. "Thank you." She whispers before plastering a smile on her face and going to greet Peyton and Lucas.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"That was such a great night!" Haley smiles contentedly as she takes her earrings out and places them on the dresser later that evening. I nod silently from my spot on the bed and force a small smile. Great isn't exactly the word I would use. Brooke refused to even look at me for most of the evening. She barely spoke to me unless absolutely necessary, she focused on Haley & Peyton. She practically used them as her bodyguards. I did get to spen time with Elliot. Five minutes in his presence and you can't help but love him. "And Elliot, is he not the sweetest child you've ever seen?" Haley's voice brings me back to reality and I look up to find her standing at the foot of the bed in her nightgown. "He certainly seemed to take a liking to you." Haley voices my thoughts and I can't help but smile.

"He's quite a kid." I say honestly. Haley nods with a smile as she climbs into the bed and leans over to kiss my cheek.

"Can you shut the light Nate?" Haley asks as she settles down into the pillows and I look at her for a long moment before nodding.

"Sure, ugh, I'm not tired so I'm going to go read for a while." I drop a kiss on her head before climbing out of the bed and turning to look down at her. She's already dead to world. I grab my cell, turn the light off and leave the room, quietly shutting the door behind me. I make my way towards my study and close the door before sitting down behind my desk. I stare at the phone in my hand for awhile before flipping it open. My fingers glide over the keys as I type out the text.

_**Meet me in ½ hr. The beach. Or I'm showing up at Karen's, your choice.**_

I hit send and take a deep breath. It seems a little harsh but considering the situation, I think it's justified and I know Brooke, sometimes you have to be forceful. A few minutes later my cell beeps and I flip it open to read her response.

_**Not giving me much of choice r u Scott? Give me an hr, Eli's being fussy**_


	4. Confessions

He's waiting for me when I reach the beach. He's sitting, arms rested on his knees. I approach him quietly and watch him for a moment. His face is so tense and he looks so tired and it's all my fault. They say you hurt the one you love, I guess I'm proof of that. Tears spring to my eyes and I quickly blink them away. I've been picturing this moment since the day I found out I was I pregnant, it' s almost surreal that it's actually here; that I'm about to have **this** conversation with Nathan.

"Hey Nate." He looks up at the sound of my voice and quickly jumps to his feet as I approach and stand in front of him.

"Thanks for coming." He says slowly and I actually laugh out loud. He's funny.

"You didn't really give me much of a choice Nathan." I eye him, a smile still on my face. I can't be mad at him. It's physically impossible for me to ever be angry with Nathan Scott. "I really didn't want you showing up at Karen's at…" I glance at my watch. "1:00 in the morning." I sit down and he follows suite. How do we always end up here? "Alright, you wanted to talk." I glance at him. "Let's talk."

"Is it true, Brooke?" He jumps right to the point and to be honest I'm a little thrown. I thought he'd beat around the bush a little bit. I mean, he's a Scott, that's what they do. "Is he mine?" There it is. It's out there now and there's no taking it back. I was hoping that if we never brought it up I'd never have to tell him. Because once we put this out there there's no going back. I look over at him. He's watching me intensely as though his whole life is riding on the answer to my question and it kind of is. He's fighting his emotions. I can see the battle going on behind his blue eyes.

"What do you want me to say, Nathan?" Tears fill my eyes as I look at him. I love this man so much and everything I've done has been to protect his and Haley's happiness but I'm terrified he won't see it that way. "Which is answer is going to make you happy? If I say yes, then I ruin your marriage and destroy my best friend and if I say no…" I drop my head as the tears overwhelm me. "Nathan, if I say no, that means I was with someone else while we were together." I can see the pain flash across his face when I say the words. "So which scenario is better for you? Which answer would make you happy?" I look away as the sobs begin to rack my whole body and no matter how hard I try I can't get them to stop. I feel his arms slide around me and he draws me into his arms. How can he be comforting me right now?

"He has my eyes." Nathan murmurs into my hair and I sit back to look at him. There are tears swimming in his eyes; eyes that are exactly like my son's. Elliot, my baby boy, who has my dimples and those eyes. "I need to hear you say it." The tears break free and flow down his cheeks. "I won't believe it unless you to say it." His voice cracks as he looks at me and all of my resolve is gone.

"Of course he's yours." My tears fall harder as I gently wipe Nathan's away. "He couldn't belong to anyone else, Nate. There was only you." The words spill from my mouth and I'm afraid to look at him. He's never going to look at me the same way again. It's all over now. Whatever Nathan and I had is gone now. He's never going to forgive me for this.

"I knew it. I knew he was mine. I knew the second I saw him he was mine." Nathan murmurs into my hair as he pulls me back into his arms. "We have a son, Brooke. We have a son." What is going on? Why isn't he yelling at me? What is he doing? I don't understand?

"You're not angry?" I ask in complete shock. How is this even possible? How can he not be angry? He's supposed to be angry. Every scenario I've ever cooked up has ended with him being angry. "Nate, I lied to you. You should be angry." I look away from him.

"Brooke, I am angry." Nate says in a voice that is anything but angry and I look over at him slowly. He gently brushes the hair from my face and wipes the tears from my eyes. "I wish that you hadn't kept this from me. But I'm more angry with myself for making you think you had to deal with this alone. I wish you had told me. I would have been there for you." I stare at him in disbelief. How can this be happening? Is he actually blaming himself? I'm the one who just drove into town after three years and dropped this on him.

"This is **not** your fault." I shake my head. He looks at me for a long time before slowly, almost hesitantly wrapping his arms around me again. For once, I don't fight him. I don't have the strength to fight him again. I close my eyes and rest my head against his chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispers so softly I barely hear him and for a moment I consider pretending I didn't. No, we need to get all of this out. There's so much that we have to straighten out and I can't hide from it anymore. I've been hiding for the last three years and it's gotten me know nowhere.

"I thought it was for the best." I finally speak, shrugging a little. "You and I hadn't spoken since the wedding…" Tears fall from my eyes unto his shirt and I stare at the wet spot. "… and Haley was so happy and I just didn't know what to do." He pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head softly.

"When did you find out?" He asks after a moment, his voice is a little strangled. I know what he's thinking. He's wondering if I knew before the wedding; if I knew and I still pushed him to marry Haley.

"About a week after the wedding." I say with a sniffle and I can feel him let out a relieved sigh. "I knew I was late but with everything that was going on I just thought it was stress." I pause and take a deep breath. It's actually a bit of a relief to get all of this off my chest. "I couldn't even look at Haley when I found out. Just the thought of how badly this would hurt her nearly killed me." I close my eyes for a moment and press myself closer to him. He automatically tightens his arms around me.

"Did you think about a…" He breaks off and I look up at him. His eyes are clouded over. He can't even say the word. Not that I blame him. He looks down at me, his eyes searching mine and I'm not sure which answer he's looking for.

"An abortion…" The word gets caught in my throat. I'm tempted to lie to him but I can't. He deserves to know everything. I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. "For like half a second. But I couldn't." I pull away to look him straight in the eyes. I need him to know this. If he understands nothing else, I need him to understand this. "He was yours. He was ours. We made him together and I couldn't… I just couldn't." He doesn't say anything but I can see it in his eyes, the relief. "That was when I decided I had to go." I take a breath and slowly turn so I'm leaning back against his chest and he wraps his arms protectively around me. "I knew that I had to have this baby but I knew if I stayed you…" I break off as the tears start to come yet again. I swipe at my face and his presses another kiss against my temple. "I knew that you would step up and do the right thing and I couldn't do that to Haley."

"You shouldn't have had to go through this alone." He whispers into my neck as he gently places a kiss there. I close my eyes and savour the feeling. I know that this is not helping the situation but all of my defences are gone. He's stripped them all away and right now I can't fight him anymore. I need him. For as long as he's willing to be here, I need him. Because I've been doing this alone for too long and I'm tired. "Why did you come back? Why did you bring him here? You had to know that I would put it all together." I sigh softly. He's right, I did know he would put it all together. But I didn't want Elliot to grow up in the city. I wanted him to grow up here. With his family.

"I told you already." I shrug a little and lean back against him. "I wanted a home for Eli. I wanted him to have a yard to play in. I didn't want to raise him in the city."

"I'm glad you brought him home." Nathan whispers and I can hear the smile. "I'm glad I'll get to know him." The words send a shiver through me. I've been so caught up in everything that I'd forgotten all about what this means. I don't know why I'm so shocked. He's Nathan, of course he would want to know his son. Panic is setting in. What have I done? Haley. What do I do about Haley? How can we tell her? She'll never understand this. She'll hate me. My best friend will hate me. "Brooke… stop!" I look up at his tone and he's watching me seriously. "I know what you're thinking. I don't care. I'm not going to hide from this. I'm not going to ignore the fact that Eli's my son."

"Nate…" Tears fill my eyes again. I'm really panicking now. I can't breathe. Oh my God! What have I done? "This is going to kill her, Nathan. She'll never forgive us. Peyton and Lucas, nobody will understand." I feel light headed as I plead with him. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me? What did I think was going to happen when I told him? Did I think he would just be like OK thanks? Damn it Brooke!

"I don't care." Nathan's voice is calm. How the hell can he be so calm? He gently wipes a tear from my cheek and leans down to kiss my temple. "He's my son, Brooke. I don't care what anyone thinks." He looks so sure of himself, how can he be so sure? How can he know? "You're not talking me out of this either."

"But Haley…." I shake my head in desperation. This is really happening. I know the look in his eyes. Those damn Scott men are pretty stubborn so arguing with him is pointless.

"I don't want to hurt Haley anymore than you do, but don't you think that she deserves the chance to be with someone who really wants to be with her? Someone who will love her unconditionally?" Nathan closes his eyes and rests his head against mine. "I made a mistake Brooke. I shouldn't have listened to you. I shouldn't have married her. If I had listened to my heart and my gut, I wouldn't have missed the first three years of Eli's life. I wouldn't have lost those years with you."

"Nate, we can't…" My voice cracks. Oh god! I can't believe I did this. I can't believe that I was so stupid. I should have stayed away. I ruined everything. I can't let this happen. I turn to look at Nathan. The moment his blue eyes meet mine, all of my conviction disappears. His hand is slipping into my hair, pulling my face to his. He rests his forehead against mine.

"It's you Brooke." He murmurs and tears fill my eyes for the hundredth time that night. "It was always you. I told myself that I could be happy with Haley but now…" He shakes his head as his thumb brushes across my cheek. "I can't live my life without you Brooke. I've done it for three years and I don't want to anymore." I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the emotions I see written all over his face. "Brooke, look at me." His voice is soft and I slowly open my eyes. He's watching me with a small smile on a face. I search his eyes for any sliver of doubt. There's nothing but absolute certainty. My head is spinning. I can't really do this, can I?

"Nathan…" I want to believe him. I want to believe him so badly that it hurts. It would be so easy to lose myself in his eyes and his embrace.

"Do you love me?" A stab of pain hits when I see the pain in his eyes, the doubt.

"I love you more than I have ever loved anybody." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. "This is not about my feelings for you Nathan. It was never about my feelings for you."

"Then stop fighting this." He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and a smile finds his lips. "I lost you once, Brooke. I'm not going to do it again. You and Elliot, you're my family." Suddenly his lips are on mine. It's a gentle kiss and yet the memories it invokes are almost too much to take. His arms slide around my waist, pulling me to him, settling me on his lap. Almost as though they have a mind of their own, my arms snake around his neck and my fingers get lost in his dark hair as I return the kiss. Why did I bother fighting? I never had a chance. I've been running for three years and where did it get me? Right back where I started, in Nathan's arms. But there are definitely worse places I could be. I reluctantly lean away from him after a few moments. I instantly miss the feel of his lips on mine.

"I'm sorry for everything." I murmur as he envelops me in his arms and I curl up in his lap.

"Shh." He whispers into my hair. "It's in the past. All that matters is you're here now." He kisses my hair. How is it that this man is capable of calming me when I feel like I'm about to lose my mind?

"I love you Nathan Scott." I whisper into his ear and I can see him smile out of the corner of my eyes. He turns his head and captures my lips again. This keep much deeper than the last. I melt against him. How had I gone three years without this?

"I love you Brooke Davis." He kisses my noses and tightens his arms around me again as I lean against his chest. For the first time in three years I feel like I'm home again. I feel like I'm complete again. But I still can't shake the nagging feeling in my stomach.

"Nathan…" I look up at him. "What do we do now?"


	5. Truth

_**A/N - So here's Chapter 5! Sorry for the delay. I hope that you all enjoy. Please let me know what you think! Chapter 6 should be up soon. Thanks for all of the feedback. As always, I own nothing.**_

_**XO**_

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

"What happens now?" Brooke looks up at me, her eyes clouded with fear and worry. She's thinking about Haley. She's always thinking about Haley. It's one the reasons I love her. The thought of hurting Haley kills her. The thought of hurting Haley hurts me too but it's eating Brooke up. But this situation isn't fair to anyone, especially Haley. She's an amazing woman and she deserves to be happy. I'm just not the guy that can make her happy. I can play the part, I've been playing the part for the last three years, but it's not real and she deserves more than spending her life with a man who can never love her the way she should be loved.

"I don't know sweetheart." I whisper, placing a kiss on her temple. "But we'll figure it out together." She nods silently and pulls my arms around her tighter. I close my eyes for a moment and rest my head against hers. Part of me still doesn't believe that this is happening. I've dreamt about this moment so many times that I keep expecting myself to wake up. "Tell me about Eli." I murmur into her hair, dropping another kiss there. A tiny smile adorns her face at the mention of our son. Our son. It's still surprising how right that sounds to me; how right it feels.

"He's the most amazing little boy." Her smile widens as she leans back and rests her head against my shoulder, turning to look at me. "I was so scared when he was born. I had no idea what I was doing. I was terrified that I'd end up being like my parents." She pauses and takes a deep breath before the smile returns to her face again. "But the first time he opened his eyes and looked me, I knew we'd be OK because I saw you looking back at me." She reaches for my hand, slowly linking our fingers together. "But he has so much more of you than just your eyes." She gently brushes her fingers over the top of my hand. "He has your laugh and there are certain things he does, mannerisms and facial expressions, all I see is you." She pauses for a moment as she glances up at me with a smirk on her face. "And he definitely inherited your temper." She laughs a little and I can't help but smile. "When he throws a tantrum, that's when I definitely know he's your son." She laughs fully this time but it ends quickly and she looks up at me with a serious expression. "I'm sorry I kept him from you." Her voice is barely a whisper and she looks like she's about to break into tears. "I shouldn't have done that. You had a right to know him. I just did what I thought was best."

"I know." I turn her face so I'm looking directly into her eyes. "We can't change the past, we just have to go forward." She nods and I slowly lean down, capturing her lips with mine. I could never get tired of kissing Brooke Davis. She turns fully in my arms, positioning herself more comfortably on my lap so she's straddling me. It's been so long since I've held her like this that my senses go into overdrive. My fingers get lost in her hair as I pull her face closer to mine, trying to taste every inch of her mouth. My hands slowly trail the length of her body. I can't resist gripping her hips and grinding into her.

"Nathan, wait." Brooke pushes away and I look at her in confusion. What's she doing? Why did we stop? She lets out a little laugh when she sees my expression and drops her head to slide her lips across mine. "I'm sorry. You know I want to. I just can't yet. We have to tell Haley first. I can't be with you again until she knows. I owe her that much." I take a deep breath as I look at her. I know she's right. As much as I want to crush her to me and do everything I've been dreaming about for the last three years, we shouldn't because Haley does deserve better than that.

"OK." I nod, kissing her one last time before she removes herself from my arms and sits next to me on the sand. "So, when do we tell her?" I ask as the fog in my brain starts to clear.

"I don't know." Brooke shrugs a little before moving closer to me, practically burrowing under my arm to nestle herself firmly into my side. It's crazy that the second I'm touching her again, everything seems a little bit better. I never thought a woman would have this kind of effect on me and yet here I am, putty in her hands and willingly so.

"I'll do it." I whisper, brushing my lips across her hair. "I'll tell her."

"Do we need to rush it?" Brooke looks up at me with pleading eyes and I sigh. Even after all of that's happened tonight she's still resisting. "Don't look at me like that Nathan." She shakes her head and it's her turn to sigh. "This is going to crush her. It's going to kill her and I don't want to just barge in and drop this on her. I don't want to hurt her any more than is necessary."

"Brooke, whether we tell her today, tomorrow, next week… the outcome is still going to be the same. We're going to hurt her regardless of when we do it, so why prolong the inevitable." I understand where she's coming from. When the truth comes out everyone's lives are going to be thrown into chaos. Haley's life is going to be turned upside down but I can't live a lie anymore.

"I just got her back." Brooke eyes drift toward the water and she stares out for a long moment. "Once we tell her, it's over. Our friendship, your marriage, everything. She's never going to forgive us and I just need to come to grips with that." She looks back at me and I expect to hesitation or fear or something similar in her eyes but I find none. "I love you Nathan and I'm done running but this isn't something that you spring on someone over coffee."

"The sooner we tell her the better." I brush the hair from her face. "Then we can all get on with our lives." She nods slowly and I can see her mind working overtime. "I love you Brooke and I want to be with you. I want to be with our son. That's all I want. I just don't want you to have any doubts about us."

"You're all I want. You, me and Eli, that's all I want." Brooke whispers as she leans over and her lips meet mine. "There's no doubt, Nathan, and whatever happens, however this turns out, I'll never regret this. I'll never regret us."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Hey, why didn't you come to bed last night?" I look up from my cup of coffee as Haley enters the kitchen the next morning.

"I fell asleep watching ESPN." She looks so concerned and guilt surges through me. I don't relish the thought of hurting Haley and if there was some way I could be with Brooke and Eli without hurting her, I would gladly take that route but this is situation we're in. I don't know how I'm going to tell her. How do I tell her that Brooke and I share a child. How do to tell her I'm in love with her best friend. Brooke said that we should do this together but I know it should be me. I owe Haley that much. She's devoted the last three years of her life to this marriage and the last 6 years to our relationship in general and in the end it needs to come from me and not in front of spectators. If I'm going to break her heart, the least I can do is break it in private.

"Well, at least you slept right?" She smiles a little as she sips her coffee. "So, what are your plans for the day?" She asks as she flips through the paper.

"I… ugh…." The doorbell cuts me off and Haley looks up at me with a grin.

"Oh, that's Brooke and Eli." The color drains from my face. What the hell? Brooke didn't tell me she had plans with Haley today? "I called her this morning when I saw this beautiful weather. I thought we could take Eli to the beach. Lucas and Peyton are going to meet us there. You should come." She doesn't give me a chance to answer before heading out of the kitchen towards the front door. A moment later I hear Brooke's voice.

"Hey Tutor Girl." My heart skips a beat at the mere sound of her voice. How am I supposed to spend the entire day with her and not touch her? And what about Eli? This is the first time I'm going to see him since confirming he's mine. I… my thoughts are interrupted by sounds of little feet running down the hall and my heart stops when Eli appears in the door.

"Nafan!" He cries happily, running toward me. He scrambles into my lap and throws his tiny arms around my neck. My heart feels like it's about to burst in my chest. My eyes close as I wrap my arms around my son for the first time and I have to resist the urge to cry. He pulls his face away to look at me and smiles, his mother's dimples prominent and I stare at him for the first real time, trying to memorize his features, searching for the parts of me that Brooke says are in there. "Mama, it's Nafan!" Eli's cranes his neck around looking for his mother and for the first time I realize that we're not alone in the room. I pull my gaze away from his face to find Haley and Brooke watching us from the doorway. Haley's smile suggests amusement that Eli has taken such a liking to me. Brooke on the other hand, Brooke looks as though she's about to burst into tears at any second. Her eyes mine for a brief second but in that second we say everything that we need to say. "Nafan, are you coming to the beach?" Eli's hand on my cheek brings me back to reality and I look back at him. His bright blue eyes are wide and expecting and I realize in that moment that I'll never be able to deny this little boy anything.

"Absolutely buddy."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"I'm sorry." Brooke whispers as we gather all of the supplies from the car an hour later and start toward the beach. "Haley called this morning and she was so insistent and I couldn't say no…" She trails off as she watches Haley chase a laughing Eli in the distance. "I know it's selfish, but I just wanted to have one more day with her."

"It's OK." I look down at her and resist the urge to take her in my arms right there. "Let's just try and get through it." I glance around quickly before dropping a quick kiss on her temple and she smiles up at me.

"Hey you two!" We both jump and turn to find Lucas and Peyton heading toward us.

"Hey guys! What's up." I give them both a quick nod before stealing a glance at Brooke, who kind of looks like she's about to be sick.

"Hey, you OK, B. Davis? You don't look so good?" Peyton asks, concern in her eyes as she wraps her arm around Brooke's shoulders.

"Here let me take that." Lucas takes bags from Brooke's arms.

"Thanks Luke." She smiles, her eyes sliding up to me quickly before looking back at my brother. "I'm really fine guys." She slides her arm around Peyton's waist. "Come on, Eli and Haley are waiting."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHO**

"Let's have a baby." Haley whispers into my ear as she slides her hands up my chest and around my neck later that night.

"What?" I suddenly can't breathe. It's like all of the air has been sucked out of the room. What the hell is happening? Where the hell did all of this come from? One minute I'm standing in the kitchen putting groceries away and the next minute Haley wants to have a baby?

"Watching you with Eli today…" Haley smiles up at me and my stomach sinks. "You're so amazing with him. You were meant to be a father Nathan." Her smile grows wider and I feel like I'm having an anxiety attack. "And we were talking about trying, so let's try." She presses herself closer to me. I can't do this.

"Haley…." Her name spills from my mouth before I can stop it. Am I actually doing this now? Brooke was right, I should have planned this better. "We need to talk." The words sound ominous even to me and Haley's eyes widen. I feel wave of guilt at the concern on her face. She's so trusting. She has absolutely no idea what's about to happen.

"Nathan, honey, what's wrong?" The term of endearment sends a stab to my heart. My feelings for Brooke don't negate my feelings for Haley. I don't want to hurt her but she deserves more than the life we're living. I slowly sit down at the table and she follows suit. "You're starting to scare me, Nate." She reaches for my hand and I stare at her wedding ring - the ring that I gave her as a symbol of my love; a ring that deep down I knew belonged on someone else's finger.

"Hales…" I break off at the sound of her nickname on my lips as I stare into her brown eyes. "Haley, it's about Elliot…." The words get caught in my throat. Fuck! Why can't I just do this? Dragging this out is only making it worse.

"What about Elliot? Oh God, is he OK? Did Brooke call?" Fear splashes across her face. She loves him already. The realization hits me like a slap across the face. She loves him because he's Brooke's. He's just one more person she's going to lose because of this; one more person I'm about to take away from her.

"He's fine." I take a breath as she sighs in relief and I can see her visibly relax. "Haley, I don't know how to tell you this. There's no easy way for me to break this to you." I take another breath. I really feel like I'm having an axiety attack. "He's mine, Haley. Elliot, he's mine." The words fly out of my mouth and I can't even look at her. She silent for a long time and I slowly raise my eyes to meet hers. She's staring at me with a look of non-comprehension on her face.

"I'm sorry, what?" She swallows hard and I can see the tears she's trying to blink away. "What?"

"Haley…" I start and she jumps from the table and turns away from me, leaning against the counter. I hesitantly stand and am about to reach out to her when she turns back around, tears and anger flashing in her eyes.

"He's yours?" She's staring at me as though she's looking a stranger and in some ways she is. "How can he be yours? That means… that means…" She covers her mouth with her hand as though she's about to be sick. "Oh God, I can't even say it." The tears she's been holding back finally fall and my first instinct is to wipe them away. "Nathan, please tell me you're lying… please tell me that this is some kind of sick joke." Her eyes are pleading with me and I drop my gaze to the floor. "You and Brooke?"

"Haley…" God, can't I say anything besides her name? I lift my eyes to look at her and cringe when I see the pain etched across her pretty face.

"Bastard!" Her hand connects with my face, sending the sting of it down my spine. I wince at the pain but don't try to stop her. I deserve this. I deserve whatever she wants to lay on me. Although it's only going to get worse. "How could you? Brooke? My best friend? Are you that much of an asshole? Did you need to get laid that bad?"

"It's not like that Haley." My voice is strangely calm. As sick as it sounds, it's almost a relief to have it all out in the open. Haley's always had an image of me in her head that was never accurate. She should know who she's really married to. "I'm in love with her. I was in love with her before we got married." She looks as though she's the one who was just slapped. "I'm sorry." The words get strangled in my throat as I swallow the lump in my throat.

"You're sorry?" She stares at me incredulously as she flicks her hand at her cheeks, wiping the tears away from her slightly red and puffy eyes. "That's all you have to say? You tell me that you're in love with my best friend, that you have a child with her, and all you can say is I'm sorry?"

"I never meant…" I begin but the murderous look in her eyes shuts me up.

"Don't you dare say you never meant to hurt me." She shakes her head and her chin shakes a little as she fights another wave of tears. "I will kill you, I swear to God! You sit here and rip my whole world apart and then have the nerve to say you that you never meant to hurt me. That's bullshit, Nathan." She doesn't bother to wipe the tears on her face away and she looks away from me. "Get out…" Her voice is so low I'm not even entirely sure I heard her correctly. "Are you deaf?" She whips her head to look at me, anger emanating from her whole body. "You need to get out Nathan. You need to get out now before I do something that I'll regret."

"Haley, I know this doesn't mean anything…." I reach for my car keys. "But we never wanted to hurt you." She tenses at the word 'we' but doesn't say anything. "It just happened."

"What part of get out do you not understand?" Haley's eyes flash up to me and there's nothing but hurt and anger in them.

"I am sorry Hales." I reach to touch her face and she shirks away from me as though I've burned her. I deserve that. I deserve a whole lot worse. She turns away from me and the last thing I hear as I pull the back door open are the sounds of her muffled sobs.


	6. Consequences

"Yes, Karen, the new house is fine. Eli and I are all locked up tight for the night I promise. I just put him to bed." I smile into the phone as I glance around my new home. "Thank you for letting us stay with you until it was ready. I'll talk to you tomorrow." I say goodbye and hang up the phone as I lean against the doorframe to Eli's room and watch him sleep. The doorbell causes me to frown slightly. Who could that be? I quietly close Eli's door and make my way down the hall, swinging the door open to find a pale Nathan standing on my front step. "Nate… oh my God… what…."

"Hi…" He's voice sounds strange and a wave of fear washes over me. This isn't good.

"Come in." I step aside and he enters the house, looking around. "What are you doing here?"

"I… ugh…." He stumbles and looks around the room again before his eyes meet mine. "Where's Eli?" He asks, his expression automatically brightening for a moment at the mention of our son.

"I just put him to bed." I watch him closely. I don't like this. I really don't like this. I don't like the look on his face. He won't meet my eyes for more than a couple of seconds. "Nathan, it's not like I mind, but what are you dong here?" I ask again and he stares at the pictures of Eli on the wall.

"I told her Brooke." He says finally and my heart drops to my stomach. What? He did what?

"Nathan, how could you…" I stare at him disbelief. We were supposed to wait. I thought we were going to give it some time. "How could just you tell her and not talk me first?" My voice rises a little and I have to check it as I throw a glance toward Eli's bedroom door.

"I'm sorry Brooke." He drops onto the couch, his head falling into his hands. "I know I should have talked to you first but she said she wanted to have a baby." He looks up at me slowly and my expression softens. "What was I supposed to do? I had to tell her. I couldn't let her go on thinking…" He breaks off and I sigh a little as I sit next to him and reach for his hand.

"It's OK." I whisper, brushing my lips across his cheek and resting my head against his for a moment. "So, what happened exactly?" I glance up at him as he wraps his arms around me and we settle back on the couch.

"I was in the kitchen, putting some groceries away and then next thing I know, Haley's telling me she wants to have a baby." He pauses for a moment as he runs his fingers through my hair. "She said it was watching me with Eli that did it; that I was meant to be a father." He takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. "I didn't mean to do it today but when she said that it all just came out. I couldn't lie to her anymore."

"I know." I nod into his chest. "You just shouldn't have had to do it alone. I should have been there."

"No." He shakes his head, kissing the top of my head. "I needed to this. It needed to come from me."

"How bad was it?" I don't even know if I want to know the answer. I've ruined my best friend's life. Right now Haley is in the worst imaginable pain and it's all my fault. The thought causes my stomach to turn. I've become the one thing I swore I would never be.

"You don't want to know." He murmurs, kissing my head again and I press closer to him. He's right. I don't want to know. I don't want to think about the pain that I've inflicted on her.

"That bad?" I cringe slightly and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the images of a broken Haley.

"I don't think I'll ever forget the look in her eyes." Nathan sighs a little. "I love you so much. And I want to be with you and Eli. I just wish that she didn't have to be the casualty." He tightens his arms around me. At least he finally understands my hesitation; why I resisted so much initially.

"Are you ready for this?" I ask a little hesitantly and he looks down at me slightly confused. "It's only going to get worse from here, Nathan. Life as we know it is over."

"I can handle anything as long as I have the two of you." Nathan pulls me up and his lips meet mine in what is possibly the most amazing kiss we've ever shared. In some ways this is our first kiss. Even though I know this is just the calm before the storm, I can't stop the warmth of happiness that rushes through my whole body. Nathan Scott is actually mine - out in the open for the world to know. No more hiding, no more lying. His hand cradles the back of my head as he lowers me back onto the couch and comfortably positions himself on top of me. I can't stop myself from arching into him. The feel of his body on mine is almost more than I can take. He hikes my leg around his waist and his hand runs up thigh causing a low moan to escape my lips. "Jesus Brooke…." His breath is warm on my skin as his mouth leaves a trail of kisses down my neck. "I need you, Brooke." He pulls away from me and the mixture of love and lust I see in his eyes makes me want to rip his clothes off right here. My mind is fuzzy and I'm having trouble focusing my thoughts. This can't be proper, can it? I know I said we had to wait but he literally **just** broke up with Haley. "Hey…" He gently lifts my chin to stare me straight in the eyes. "Don't think about it…." He rubs his nose against mine and I can't help but smile a little. He knows me so well. "We'll worry about the rest tomorrow, right now I just need to be with you." His mouth finds mine again and all thoughts of stopping are lost. "I love you so much, Brooke." The emotion in his voice is overwhelming and the tension that is building in my body is screaming for a release. A release I haven't felt in three years. A release that I know only Nathan can give me.

"I love you Nathan Scott." I whisper, planting tiny kisses all over his face. I barely have the words out of my mouth and Nathan's lips are on mine again, his tongue pushing past my teeth. My hands run down his sides and pushing his shirt up so my hands can slide under it. My nails dig into his back and I selfishly relish the fact that I don't have to worry about leaving marks. He's mine to mark now. Nathan grunts into my mouth and his large hands grip my thighs tighter as he thrusts his hips forward. His hands travel up to the waist of pyjamas and I inwardly wince. Am I really wearing my old plaid pyjamas? All thoughts of my attire are gone as Nathan's hands move higher and his fingers brush across the bottom of my breasts. "Nathan… please…." I'm practically begging and it comes out almost like a sob against his mouth. His control seems to crack and in one fluid motion, he's off the couch with me in his arms, legs linked around his waist as he makes his way toward the bedroom.

"Damn it Brooke…" His breath is shallow against my shoulder and lays me gently on the bed. He grips the bottom of my tank top and easily pulls it over my head, tossing it to the side. His mouth leaves a tantalizing trail of kisses and licks across my skin as he tugs at my pants. I lift my hips and he slides them off. I shiver at the intensity I see when his gaze meets mine. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He murmurs into my hair before pulling his shirt over his head and pushing his jeans off. "I love you. I love you so much." His eyes search mine for a brief moment as he positions himself on top of me.

"I love you." I lean up to capture his lips. "I need you." It's all the encouragement he needs as he pushes forward. I gasp loudly and grip his back tightly. He buries his face in my neck and I can feel his whole body tense as a primal growl escapes from deep in his throat. He once again pulls my legs around his waist and he grasps my thighs so forcefully I'm sure he's going to leave bruises. But in that moment, I couldn't care less. All that matters is the sweet ecstasy that is flowing through my body as Nathan thrusts into me and his mouth crashes against mine.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

My eyes flutter open at the feel of a strong arm thrown across me. I slowly focus on the man next to me and I can't stop the smile from finding my lips. He looks so peaceful with his mouth hanging open slightly. It's almost like watching Eli sleep. I can't resist brushing my fingers across his cheek, just to make sure that he's really there. His mouth twitches slightly at my touch.

"What the hell are you doing Davis?" He mutters without opening his eyes and a tiny laugh escapes my lips. "Waking me up is funny, is it?" His eyes open narrowly and that famous Scott smirk is prominent on his face.

"You know you love me." I return his smirk with my own. Hell, the Davis smirk is just as famous as the Scott smirk.

"Well, you do have me there." His face erupts into a full blown grin as he pulls me to him and gently tugs my face to his. "I most definitely do love you, Brooke Davis." He murmurs against my mouth before pressing his lips to mine. I can't resist sinking into his arms but I can't push the thoughts of Haley out of my head either. It's wrong for me to be this happy while she's literally living her worst nightmare. Almost as though he can sense the change in my mood, Nathan leans back to look at me. "Don't do that." He whispers, tucking a piece of my long dark hair behind my ear. "Not yet. I know we're going to have to deal with reality soon enough, but for right now I just want to enjoy being with you. OK?" He looks at me expectantly before dropping a kiss on my forehead. "Come here." His arms encircle me and I breathe a sigh of contentment as I settle into his embrace. He's right. Any minute reality is going to come storming back with a vengeance I need to hold onto this time with Nathan for as long as I can.

"Are you hungry?" I peer up at him. I know I'm definitely craving some coffee.

"What time does Eli wake up?" He asks, his hands are already gliding up my back, his fingers ticking my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

"Not for at least an hour." I arch into him as his mouth explores my neck.

"An hour huh?" He raises his eyebrows and his blue eyes twinkle mischievously. "There's a lot we can do in an hour." I laugh deeply and his grin widens as he easily rolls me onto my back. "What could we possibly do for an hour?"

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Come back to bed…" Nathan murmurs into my shoulder as he slides his arms around my waist and pulls me back against him as I scoop coffee into the coffee maker.

"Stop…" I try to chastise him but the smile on my face isn't helping my cause too much. His lips move to the spot on my knew that he knows drives me crazy. "Nathan Scott, you're going to be the death of me…" I mutter, even as I turn my head to give him better access. I enjoy the ministrations for a few moments before reluctantly pushing him away and laughing at his wounded expression. "Eli's going to be awake soon and I need to get some caffeine in my system." I flick the start button and turn in his arms, staring up into his blue eyes. "He's going to be so happy to see you. He talked about you all afternoon yesterday."

"Yeah?" Nathan smiles again, but it's a different smile. It's his Eli smile as I've started to call it. A smile that's a mixture of love, pride and something else that I haven't quite pinpointed yet. "Well, I can't wait to see him either." He lowers his head and kisses my lips tenderly. "I'm going to grab a shower, OK?"

"Of course." I nod and smirk a little as images of Nathan in the shower flood though my head. "Um… towels are in the closet at the end of the hall."

"Care to join me?" He wiggles his eyebrows at me.

"Go. Breakfast will be ready when you're done." I roll my eyes with a laugh, pushing him down the hall. Nathan pauses briefly and glances back at me.

"You're cooking?" He makes a face and I glare at him, my jaw dropping as he laughs and heads toward the bathroom. I continue staring at the door for a moment after he disappears into the bathroom before getting the eggs from the fridge, shaking my head with a smile. I about to start the scrambled eggs when there's a loud bang on the front door. I jump. What the hell was that? More banging sends me in a rush to the door before all the noise wakes up Eli.

"God, what the hell…." I pull the door open and freeze when I see Lucas standing in front of me. His blue eyes are cold as he glares at me and I can see the anger seething from him. "Luke…."

"Where is he?" He pushes past me and I stare after him. "I know he's here, Brooke. So where the hell is he?" He struggling to keep his anger in check and I'm afraid that he's about to loose that battle.

"Luke, please calm down." The way he's looking at me makes me want to cry. In all of the years that I've know Lucas Scott, he's never looked at me like that before, like I'm the most repulsive thing he's ever seen.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Brooke." He practically spits at me and I physically recoil at the maliciousness of his tone. "Believe me, you and I are going to have words but I want to see that bastard first." He's practically yelling now and I cringe again as I glance toward Eli's closed door.

"Please keep your voice down." I plead a little desperately. "Eli's sleeping." His eyes shoot to me at the sound of my son's name. I almost expect his expression to soften a little but he continues to look at me with those cold eyes.

"How could you, Brooke? How could you do that to Haley?" He shakes his head at me in disgust. "Do you have any idea what you've done? She called me in hysterics last night. Peyton and I spent the whole night watching her cry. I knew you were capable of a lot things, but I never thought you could do this, especially not to Haley." I drop my head in shame. I have no words. He's right. I am a horrible person. Tears spring to my eyes and I try to blink them away.

"Leave her alone Luke." We both turn to find Nathan, fresh from his shower, dressed in his wrinkled jeans and shirt, hair still wet. He glances at me, silently making sure I'm OK.

"You son of a bitch." Lucas eyes his brother with his jaw clenched. They stare at each other for a moment before Lucas suddenly lunges at Nathan.

"Luke don't…" I gasp as his fist meets Nathan's jaw with a loud crack. "Oh my God!" I push past Lucas and kneel down next to Nathan. "Are you OK?" Tears fill my eyes as I gently touch his cheek. I hear Lucas snort behind us and I look at him over my shoulder.

"Luke, I know you're upset…" My voice cracks a little as I help Nathan to his feet.

"Of course I'm fucking upset." Lucas' eyes flare again as he steps closer to us and I tense, my eyes darting to Eli's door again. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your ass right now, Nate?"

"Mama?" A tiny voice breaks through the chaos and we all turn to find Eli standing just outside his bedroom watching the three of us with confusion. I throw a glance at Nathan and Lucas who are still faced off, silently pleading with them not to do this in front of my son.

"Hey buddy." I quickly walk over and lift him easily into my arms, settling him on my hip. "What are you doing up? Huh?" I kiss his cheek and eye Lucas and Nathan over the top of his head. Lucas is watching us with an unreadable expression. It's funny that I used to be able to read that broody blonde better than anyone. Now he's staring at my son with an expression that chills me and I glance down at Eli, pulling him closer.

"Brooke, why don't you take Eli in the kitchen and get him some breakfast." Nathan's face is calm as he turns to look at us. I see the seriousness in his eyes when his gaze meets mine and I nod. "I'll be right in buddy." He smiles at Eli, who at any moment was surely about to protest. He looks at Lucas, then Nathan, then me before nodding. I smile down at him before looking back at the two brothers and reluctantly head toward the kitchen.

**A/N - I know this chapter doesn't really move the story along (except for the end a little) but seeing as everything has hit the fan, I wanted at least one chapter where Brooke & Nathan were happy for a bit. I own nothing (obviously) and of course reviews are appreciated. I hope you like this chapter.**


	7. Reality

I wait until Brooke and Eli are completely out of sight before looking back at my brother. It hurts to see him looking at me like that. We've gone through a lot to become brothers and in one second that's all gone. I know it's my fault. I knew the first time my lips met Brooke's all those years ago that nothing would be the same again.

"Thanks for not doing anything in front of him." I say after a moment and Lucas just stares at me.

"I didn't do it for you." He barks. I can't blame him for the anger. "This isn't his fault. He didn't ask to be born. I can't take it out on him." He throws a quick look toward the kitchen door.

"Well, still thanks." I rub my jaw tenderly and look at him warily. Is he going to punch me again? It's not something I'm looking forward to but I'll let him. I'll let him hit me as many times as he needs to.

"What the fuck Nathan?" He stares at me, his fists still clenched at his side. "How could you do that? With her best friend….."

"Luke…" I sigh a little. "It just happened." It's a weak excuse. Hell there are no excuses. What I did was inexcusable but it is the truth. "We never planned this."

"But you let it happen, Nathan!" He screams but checks himself as he looks toward the kitchen again. "You were attracted to Brooke, I get that. It's Brooke Davis. You'd have to be dead **not** to be attracted to her but that doesn't mean you crawl into bed with her!" His face is blood red and he looks like he's about to blow at any second.

"Do you think I wanted this, Luke?" I sigh a little. "Do you think I wanted to fall in love with Haley's best friend?"

"In love?" He looks like he's about to laugh in my face. "You're in love with her? No, maybe you love screwing her, Nathan, but you're not in love with her."

"Luke, I'm trying to stay calm here because you have every right to say whatever to me and I will gladly take it but I'm not going to let you belittle Brooke or what I have with her." My voice comes out strangely calm.

"Whatever…" Lucas waves his hand at me, his eyes still ice cold. "I hope you and Brooke are happy together, because we're done. We're not friends, we're not brothers. We're nothing." I feel like he's just punched me again. Lucas throws me one last look before turning on his heel and leaving the house with a loud slam of the door.

"Nate?" I turn to find Brooke standing behind me with Eli resting comfortably on her hip. My eyes soften instantly when I see them. I can see the concern in her eyes as I cross the short distance to them and lift Eli out of his mother's arms before wrapping one arm around her shoulder and drawing her into me. I know how bad this is but in the end they're worth it. This is my family and this is where I'm going to stay.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

Exhaustion is etched across Brooke's pretty face as finishes giving Eli his lunch sets him up in his room with a DVD but I can't help but smile as she softly kisses his head and brushes the hair from his eyes. Her love for him is obvious. She turns back to me and our eyes meet. She silently reaches for my hand and leads me from Eli's room, closing the door behind us. Neither of us speak until we're in living room. "C'mere." I murmur pulling her effortlessly into my arms as we sink down onto the couch and she nestles herself into my side. "Are you OK?" I whisper, my lips brushing across her forehead. We haven't talked about the scene with Lucas this morning. I don't think either of us really knows what to say. Maybe we still don't but if we're going to survive this we need to be able talk about this stuff because Luke is just the first in a long line of people who are going to have problem with us.

"I think I should be asking **you **that question." She looks up at me and gently touching my jaw, her fingers tracing the outline of the bruise that's starting to form. Anguish flashes behind her eyes and I pull her back into my arms. I know she's blaming herself. That's what Brooke does.

"I'm fine baby." I breathe in the scent of her hair and my eyes drift close. "Let's talk about something else." She nods silently. "Eli…" I can feel her smile as soon as I say his name and I can't help but do the same. "When are we going to tell him?" She looks up at me, confusion written all over her face. "That I'm his father. I want him to know."

"I know." She murmurs as she lays against me again. "I want to tell him too but I just think maybe we should wait until everything is settled." I'm about to speak but she continues. "There's so much going on that he doesn't understand. He's already so overwhelmed just by what happened today. He's knows something is wrong, he just doesn't know what and I don't want to put more on him." She looks up at me with pleading eyes. "I want him to know. I want the world to know but right now…" She shakes her head and blinks back tears.

"OK…" I nod slowly, my eyes searching hers. "We'll wait." She's so stressed and I don't want to make things harder on her. We'll take this at her pace. I've got nothing but time now. So however long she needs I'll give it to her.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Nafan, you're still here!" Eli's eyes get wide when see me and he grins, leaping forward and I catch him easily. "How come you're still here?"

"Ugh…" I glance at Brooke uncertainly, my eyes pleading with her. She looks at me for a long moment before slowly nodding. "Well buddy, I'm probably going to be here a lot, is that OK?" I ask slowly and his little face lights up with another Brooke Davis smile.

"Of course silwy. I like it when you're here." He looks over at Brooke. "Mama, is Nafan really staying?"

"Yeah, baby, he's staying." She crosses the room to sit next to me on the couch, softly running her fingers through Eli's dark hair. "Baby, Nathan and I need to talk to you about something…" She bites her lips nervously and glances up at me. I nod encouragingly and my heart begins to race. This is it. I feel a little light headed. "Come here." She reaches out and takeS him out of my arms, settling him on her lap so they're facing each other. "El, do you remember before we moved here, when we lived in New York?" Eli nods silently, his blue eyes staring into Brooke's intently. "And do you remember when you asked me how come all of the other kids had daddies but you didn't?" Eli nods again and Brooke looks like she's about to break into tears. She glances quickly in my direction before looking back at the little boy in front of her. "And do you remember what I told you?"

"You said that my daddy lived far away." My heart breaks as his little face falls and his blue eyes drop to Brooke's hands and suddenly fear grips me. What if he hates me? What if he thinks I abandoned him? He's just a baby, he doesn't understand why I wasn't there, he just knows I wasn't.

"Right, and your daddy did live far away. Tree Hill is pretty far from New York." Brooke says slowly and Eli's face scrunches up in confusion.

"My daddy lives here?" His eyes dart back and forth as he stares at his mother.

"Eli, baby, Nathan is your daddy." I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding as the words leave Brooke's mouth. Eli turns his face to me.

"You're my daddy?" His little voice is thick with confusion and I wonder if Brooke was right. Maybe we should have waited to tell him.

"Yeah, pal, I'm your dad." I slowly reach out to him, brushing his hair from his face. "Is that OK?" He looks at Brooke, who's watching him closely, concern in her eyes.

"It came true." Eli climbs off his mother's lap and scrambles into mine, throwing his arms around me and burying his face in my neck. I stare at Brooke in complete shock as my arms wrap around his little body. "Last night, I prayed that God would make you my daddy." He peers up at me, his face the picture of innocence. Brooke's watching us with tears shimmering in her eyes.

"I prayed that I was your daddy too." I kiss the top of his head and hug him again. I reach one arm around to Brooke, who scoots closer to us, resting her head gently against Eli. My lips brush across her forehead and I close my eyes, savouring the feeling of them in my arms.

"Nafan…" Eli's tiny voice breaks through the silence and Brooke and I both look down at him. "Can I you call you daddy?" The words bring tears to my eyes.

"Of course you can." I kiss his forehead. "I want you to." My eyes meet Brooke's and expression on her face tells me she's feeling exactly what the same thing I am - will anything ever be better than this moment? Brooke smiles for a moment before her eyes cloud again. She smiles sadly as she runs her hand over Eli's head and I know what she's thinking. She's not wrong. I'm still not completely free to be with them and while I don't think Haley will fight the divorce, it's not going to be easy.

"Eli, baby, it's time for your nap." Brooke whispers and he shakes his head vigorously, hiding his face in my shoulder.

"I don't wanna…" He mutters into my ear and I look down at him for a moment before glancing at Brooke, who's watching us with a smile on her face.

"How about if I tuck you in?" I whisper as I look down into his tiny face. He looks like he's about to pass out in my arms. He looks up at me for a moment before nodding and I wink at Brooke before standing, adjust Eli in my arms and slowly make my way into Eli's room. Brooke follows close behind, leaning against the doorframe as I sit down and place in Eli in his bed. "I promise I'll be here when you wake up, OK, buddy?" Eli smiles up at me with a nod and I drop a kiss on his forehead as his eyes close. I watch him for a moment before following Brooke back to the living room.

"Oh my God!" Brooke spins around with a huge smile on her face. "I can't believe how easy that was." Tears sparkle in her eyes.

"I told you. I told you." My arms slide around her waist and I pull her to me. "We're going to get through this, Brooke. I promise." She nods and rests her head against my chest. I glance at the clock before pulling away from her. "I have to go." I murmur and she looks up at me completely confused. "I have no clothes, no nothing. I need to get my stuff."

"What about Haley?" She looks up at me, worry creasing her forehead and I brush my lips across it.

"I'll deal with it." I whisper. "I can't avoid her forever." She nods a little reluctantly and I place a soft kiss on her lips before releasing her. "I love you. I'll be back soon." She nods slowly. I kiss her again before heading out the front door.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

I take a deep breath as I stare at the door in front of me. Do I knock? Do I just walk in? Haley's car is in the driveway so I know she's home. Reluctantly I reach for the doorbell and press it. A few moments later the door opens and Luke's standing in front of me. "Oh you have got to be kidding me." He glares at me and steps outside, closing the door behind him. "What the hell are you doing here? Brooke kick you out already?"

"I don't want to start trouble Luke. I need to get my things…" I'm cut off by the door opening and Haley appears. I cringe inwardly when I see her face.

"Hales, go back inside, I'm dealing with this." Luke says gently and Haley shakes her head, her eyes never leaving me.

"No, let him get his things." She finally looks at my brother as she picks up her purse from the hall table. "I don't want him coming back here again." She brushes past me before pausing to look back. "I'll be back in an hour, you better be gone by then." I can see her blink back tears as she turns and rushes toward her car.


	8. Confrontations

"If you're here to yell at me P. Sawyer, save it." I find Peyton on my front step not long after Nathan leaves and turn around to walk back to the living room. "You're too late, Lucas beat you to it."

"I'm not here to yell, Brooke. I just want to talk" I hear her step inside and close the door behind her. The sincerity in her voice causes me to turn around and look at her. She's standing just inside the door, her expression a mixture of emotions. "Nathan? Really Brooke? You could have any man that you wanted and you had to take Haley's husband?" I can see the disapproval and disappointment in her eyes and suddenly I feel a rush of indignation. Who the hell does she think she is?

"I'm sorry, are you really giving me a lecture on fidelity? You?" My eyes flash angrily. Maybe I'm being too sensitive; maybe I'm trying to deflect my guilt by lashing out at Peyton - but it doesn't mean I'm wrong. "You know what Peyton, if Haley wants to come in here and call me every name she can think of, I will gladly take it because I deserve it from her. But you, you of all people, do not get to come into my home and make me feel guilty." I turn away, anger surging through my veins and sit down. Peyton remains standing where she is for a few moments before crossing the room to sit next to me on the couch.

"You're right. I don't have any right to lecture you." She says finally and I slowly look at her. "But I just don't understand…."

"Why does everyone act like we planned this, like we wanted to hurt her?" I shake my head with a sigh as I look at my oldest friend in the world. "Do you really think that little of me? Do you really think that I would intentionally hurt her like that. I know what that feels like and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, least of all Haley." I sniffle a little and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Did you choose to fall in love with Lucas, Peyton? Did you wake up one morning and say 'hmmm… I think I'll wreck Brooke's life today'?" She's silent as she looks at me. "Exactly." I brush the tears from my face as I look at my blonde friend. "So, why do you automatically assume that it was easy for me to betray her; that I wouldn't have thought twice about it? Oh, right, I'm just slutty Brooke. Of course I don't care about Haley's feelings." Tears fall down my cheeks again and I curse silently as I swipe at them. I am so sick of crying. It seems like it's all I've done today.

"Brooke, I don't know what I'm supposed to say." Peyton stares at me for a moment. God, I'm tired. I am so unbelievably tired.

"Of course you don't Peyton." I throw a glance her way and I know she can see the disdain in my eyes. "You never did. 20 years of friendship and you still don't know anything." We're both silent for a long time as we stare at each other and I wonder how we got here. "Why don't you just leave, Peyton. You're on Team Haley, I get it." I swallow the sob that's rising in my throat and I will the tears that are threatening to fall not to. "I just thought that if anyone would understand, it would be you. But apparently I was wrong." I swipe at my face again before standing and starting toward the kitchen. "Just close the door on your way out please." I can feel Peyton's eyes on me as I flee the room and collapse into a chair in the kitchen. A few moments later I feel Peyton's arms slide around my shoulders as she pulls me into a hug.

"I'm always on Team Brooke." She says as I pull away to look at her. "You know that. You're my Brooke, I will always have your back."

"Did you feel this bad?" I ask, looking up into her eyes, searching, trying to find some answers. "Did you hate yourself this much? Because I hate myself. I really do. I hate that I did this to her."

"Yeah…" Peyton nods sadly. "I know. It really sucks. You're hurting this person that you love so much and no matter how badly you want to stop it, you can't."

"I tried, P. Sawyer." My voice is barely a whisper. "I tried not to love him. I pushed him away. I told him to marry Haley. I wanted her to be happy. I left town so she could be happy." I break off as a sob escapes my lips and Peyton gently brushes the hair from my face, wiping the tears from my face. "But it didn't matter. The moment I saw him, everything came rushing back like no time had passed."

"How did it happen, Brooke?" Peyton asks as she pulls a chair close to mine. I think that may be the first time anyone's asked me that.

"I don't know…" I shrug a little. "Haley was out of town, Nate and I went out for a few drinks… we ended up on the beach…. It just happened…" I shake my head and blink back tears. "I fought it, Peyton. I fought it until I couldn't fight it anymore. I never thought that I would fall in love with him. But I did and the day he married Haley… you can't imagine the pain; watching the man you love marry someone else. But I was willing to suffer through it because Haley deserved to happy; because Nathan and I were never supposed to be. I told myself that once they got married, the feelings would go away; that once he was her husband I would snap out of whatever spell I was under." I pause to take a deep breath. "It didn't quite work out that way and then I found out I was pregnant and I knew I had to go." Peyton's quiet as she looks at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I passed even a ounce of judgement on you." She reaches for my hand. "I know you and I know that you would never hurt Haley intentionally." There are tears in her eyes as she leans forward to look at me. "You're a good person, Brooke Davis, and you deserve to be happy. So if you and Nathan and Eli can find that happiness together, then you hold on to it with both hands and don't let go."

"Even if Haley has to pay the price?" I stare at her and shake my head. "I love that man so much, more than I have ever loved anyone, but my happiness is coming at Haley's expense." Tears spill down my face again and Peyton wraps her arms around me again. "She'll never forgive me for this, Peyton. I've lost her forever."

"She's hurt and she feels betrayed; she's not thinking clearly right now." Peyton whispers. "But she loves you, Brooke. She just needs some time."

"No…" I shake my head again, pulling away to look at her. "Maybe she loved me once, but she'll never love me again. She won't get over this. I don't expect her to get over this. The truth is I don't deserve her forgiveness." I let out a shaky breath. "I made my bed and now I have to lie in it." I shrug a little. "What I did to her was unforgivable."

"I did it to you and you forgave me." Peyton says seriously and I look over at her slowly. "You and Haley are very similar in that way."

"It's a nice thought P. Sawyer, but I don't think so." She gives me a sad smile and squeezes my hand as the doorbell rings. "That's probably Nathan. I don't think he realizes that he doesn't have knock anymore. I'll be back." I make my way to the front door, pulling it open. "Nate, you don't have to…" I freeze when I see Haley standing in front of me. Oh my God! "Haley…" She looks exhausted. Her eyes are slightly red and puffy.

"Can I come in…" Her voice cracks a little but she seems surprisingly calm. I stare at her surprised. When I envisioned this moment, it always involved Haley yelling at me, something I think I absolutely deserve.

"Yeah…. Ugh… Of course…" I pull the door open further and she slowly steps inside, looking around. She pauses for a moment as her eyes land on the pictures of Eli hanging on the wall.

"I don't know how I didn't see it." She swallows hard and blinks back tears. "He has so much of Nathan in him. How didn't I see it?" She's still staring at the pictures and I'm not sure if she wants me to answer or not. "Why did you do this, Brooke?" She finally turns around the face me, tears swimming in her eyes, threatening to fall at any second and my heart is pounding in my chest. _I'm _the reason she looks like that. I hate that I'm the reason she looks like that. "I've been trying to figure it out and I just can't. I mean, you were my best friend; my roommate; my Maid of Honour. For Christ's sake, you practically planned my whole wedding, Brooke." Her eyes are cloudy as she looks at me.

"Tutor Girl…" I say slowly and her eyes harden slightly.

"You don't get to call me Tutor Girl." Her voice is cold and I wince at the icy tone. "My _friend _called me that, you don't get to call me that."

"Ugh, guys…" Peyton appears in the doorway to the kitchen and Haley looks at her before quickly turning away, brushing the tears from her face. "I'm sorry, I'm gonna go." She grabs her purse from the couch before walking toward us, pausing in front of Haley. "Are you OK? I can stay if you want?" She asks quietly and Haley shakes her head quickly. "OK." Peyton squeezes her hand. "Hales, can you just try and remember that she's still Brooke. You know her and you know the kind of person she is."

"Are you taking her side?" Haley's eyes widen in anger and shock. "Why am I not surprised…" She shakes her head, swallowing hard and taking a deep breath. I want to step in because I don't want this to put a rift between them but I know it's probably best if I keep my mouth shut right now.

"It's not about taking sides." Peyton says finally, glancing in my direction. "People make mistakes Haley, that's all I'm saying." She gives her a small smile before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"Unbelievable." Haley says to no one in particular when we're alone.

"I don't know what I should say, Haley?" I ask quietly, unsure of what to say to her or how to approach this. Part of me wishes she would just start yelling like Lucas. At least I can handle the yelling. I'm prepared for yelling. This coldness is worse.

"You never answered the question." Haley picks up as though Peyton never interrupted us. Her eyes meet mine and her chin shakes a little as she fights back a sob. "Why, Brooke? How? How could you do that to me? Nathan… that was bad enough. I loved him and he betrayed that love and it broke my heart but in the end he was still just a guy, he wasn't my friend. He wasn't…you. You were like my sister. I would have done anything for you and you do this…" She breaks off as the tears spill from her eyes and she quickly brushes them away. I wish I could take her pain away. I wish I could just hug her and make it all go away. "I don't know what to do with this, Brooke. I don't know how to process this. Last night after Nathan left, before I called Lucas, I actually picked up the phone to call you." She lets out another quiet sob and tears fall from own eyes as I watch her. "Because when something's wrong, when I need someone, you're the person I want to call and I don't know what to do in a situation where you're the cause of my problems. When you're the reason…." I'm speechless as I look at her. I wish that there was something I could say to her that would that would make everything OK between us again.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Hales." I look down at my hands for a moment before looking back at her.

"You know, the two of you keep saying that…" Haley scoffs and shakes her head again. "But it doesn't matter what you meant to happen or wanted to happen… it still happened, Brooke. You still did it." She sighs heavily as she slowly sits down, running her fingers through her hair and dropping her head into her hands.

"Haley, I hate myself for doing this to you." I take a deep breath and sit down across from her. "There are no excuses. I have no excuses. All I can say is that I didn't plan this. I didn't mean to fall in love with him. I didn't want to love him. I tried to push him away…" I pause to take a breath, tears falling down my cheeks.

"Do you regret it?" Haley looks up at me slowly, her expression is unreadable and I'm quiet for a moment as I look at her.

"I regret not being honest with you. I regret hurting you the way I did…" I bite my lip nervously. I know what she's really asking me and I can't answer that question the way I know she wants me to.

"But do you regret it?" She asks again. I glance toward Eli's bedroom door and think about the little boy sleeping behind it. I know what she wants me to say. I know what she really wants to hear.

"Haley, I am so sorry that I hurt you…" My voice is barely a whisper as I blink back tears and swallow the lump in my throat. "I hate that something I've done has caused you any kind of pain, but I can't regret being with him." I quickly wipe the tears from my face as I glance over at her. "If I tell you that I regret being with Nathan then it's like I'm saying I regret having Eli and I can't do that." Haley's quiet as she looks at me and I take a breath. "I wish it had been done differently but I don't regret having him. He's my world. He's my whole life and I can't regret anything I did that gave him to me." I can't read Haley's expression as she looks at me. She's quiet as she nods slowly, looking away.

"We were happy, you know." She says suddenly. "Nathan and me, we were really happy. We were going to start a family and then you show up with a ready made one and I didn't have a chance…" She shakes her head. "Of course, that happiness was all a lie anyway. It's pretty disconcerting, finding out that your whole life is built on a lie; knowing that everything you believed was wrong; that everything you were ever sure of was wrong." She sighs a little and we're both quiet for a long moment.

"It wasn't a lie, Haley." My voice cracks again. "That was why I left. I left so you could have that happiness."

"You know, looking back, I saw it." She continues on as though I never spoke. Her voice is barely a whisper as she looks at me, her expression drained, tears in her eyes again. "I saw the way he looked at you sometimes." My face falls in absolute shock. What? What is she talking about? "It wasn't often, only a couple of times, but I caught him watching you when he thought I wasn't paying attention." She shakes her head slowly, staring at her hands, playing with her wedding ring, twisting it around her finger slowly. "At the time, I didn't think anything of it, you know. I mean, you're Brooke Davis, of course guys are going to look at you." I'm completely silent as I watch her closely. I have no idea what I'm supposed to say. "But now, in retrospect, it was so obvious. It was in his eyes; in 6 years, I don't think he ever looked at me like that." Her face looks almost void of any emotion, like she's given up completely. "You were so withdrawn the weeks leading up to the wedding and he was so devastated after you left." She shakes her head again as tears fill her eyes again. "I don't know how I didn't put it together."

"Hales, I'm sorry." My voice cracks as I choke on a sob. "I know it doesn't make up for what I did but I am sorry. I am so sorry and you have every right to be angry with me. You have every right to hate me."

"I'm not angry, Brooke." Her gaze slides to me slowly. "That's the weird part. I was so angry with Nathan last night, but now I'm just exhausted. I don't have the energy to be angry. With Nathan it was easy, I could just let the anger take over but with you… there aren't words to describe the way I feel about that. Even if I wanted to be angry, I can't muster the strength for it. Pain isn't a strong enough word to describe what it felt like."

"Haley…" She looks so lost. I wish there was something I could do for her. I wish I could make all of her pain go away.

"I should go…." Haley stand quickly and heads toward the door.

"No, Haley, wait…" I cry out, tears spilling down my face. I have to stop her. I have to make her stay. I have to make her forgive me. Haley pauses at the door for a long moment before turning around to look at me.

"I thought about you every day that you were gone." She doesn't bother wiping her tears away as she looks at me. "I wondered if you were OK and if you were happy." Her voice cracks a little on a sob. "I missed you so much and every single day I wished that you would come home." She pauses for a moment and slowly takes a deep breath. "Now I wish you had just stayed away."

**A/N - Sorry it took so long to update but I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times that I think I lost count. It was such an important one that I wanted to get it just right. I'm still not sure about it but I hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think. I own nothing of course.**


	9. Family

I arrive back at Brooke's to find her standing in Eli's room, watching him sleep. I quietly drop my bags and make my way toward the bedroom. She jumps a little as I slide my arms around her waist and draw her back against me. She looks up at me with a sad smile and I can't help but frown when I see tears glistening in her eyes.

"Brooke, baby, what's wrong?" I whisper, placing a chaste kiss on her neck.

"Haley was here." She whispers back, her eyes never leaving Eli's sleeping form and I automatically tense a little. I had a feeling Haley would be coming over her but I had hoped that it would be while I was here so I could protect Brooke. I look down at the brunette in my arms. It's not that Brooke needs anyone to protect but I can't help but want to shield her from anything and everything that could possibly cause her any kind of pain and from the look on her face I can tell that her run-in with Haley was anything but pleasant. My arms tighten around her and she leans her head back against my chest.

"Are you OK?" I murmur into her hair. It's a stupid question to ask. I know that she's not OK; I know how hard this is for her. She loves Haley so much and to be at odds with her like this is killing her.

"No, Nathan, I'm not OK." She says after a long moment, finally tearing her eyes from our son and pulling away from me. She leaves the room without another word and I stare after her. She's pulling away from me. The thought is like a stab in my chest. After everything we've been through, I can't let her shut me out. I look back at Eli for a moment before following his mother into the kitchen. I pause in the doorway. She's facing away from me, leaning against the counter, staring out the window. I watch her for a moment before crossing the room and pulling her into my arms.

"Don't push me away Brooke." I whisper before looking down at her. The tears she had been fighting in Eli's room have won and I softly wipe them from her cheeks. "You can't shut me out like this. Not now; we need each other. We have to be in this together." Brooke is quiet as she looks up at me. "What happened?" I tuck a piece of her hair behind her hair.

"She's never going to forgive me." Her voice is barely a whisper as she buries her face in my chest and sobs wrack her whole body.

"Shh… Brooke… baby…" I murmur as my arms wrap around her again, practically holding her up. "It's gonna be OK, I promise." I don't have the right to make that promise to her. I don't know if it's going to be OK but I do know that this woman and the little boy sleeping in the next room are my entire world and I'll do whatever I have to make sure that they're OK.

"No, it's not." She looks up at me, her beautiful features contorted in sadness. "This is all my fault. How could I do this to her? She was right, I ruined everything. I should have just stayed away." She shakes her head in disgust and pushes away from me.

"You don't mean that." I stare at her. What did Haley say to her? How could everything have changed so much in the last hour or so?

"You and Haley were happy." She takes a shaky breath as she looks at me, tears streaming down her face. "You were going to start a family. She told me. What right did I have to come barging back into your lives and ruin that?"

"You didn't ruin anything!" I grab her arms and force her to look at me. "You're not forcing me to be here. I'm here because this is where I want to be; this is where my family is. You and Eli, you're my family. I love you, Brooke. I have always loved you, you know that." I can't believe this is happening again. I suddenly feel like we've gone back in time three years and it's the night before my wedding again.

"Love shouldn't be this hard." She shakes her head. "You shouldn't have to sacrifice your brother because you love me and I shouldn't have to sacrifice my best friend." She turns away from me again, she shoulders shaking slightly as the tears once again overtake her.

"Sometimes you've got to fight for love." I murmur, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She trapped against me but she doesn't resist, even though part of me expected her to. "You're the one who told me that it was only going to get worse from here. You asked me if I was ready for this, if I was ready for what's to come. I'm ready Brooke."

"What if we're wrong, Nathan." She looks up at me, her eyes searching for answers in mine. "Lucas is expecting us to implode. What if he's right? What if we've built this up in our minds into something that doesn't exist, into something that we can't possibly live up to? You're giving up so much to be with me and I don't want you to wake up in 5 years, regretting your choice." She looks away, tears spilling from her eyes again. "I don't think I could handle it."

"I'll never regret it." I whisper, turning her in my arms so we're face to face. "What you're forgetting is that I never made the decision to marry Haley. You made that decision for me. I wanted to be with you, Brooke. I wanted to marry you. I love Haley, part of me always will, but I'm _in_ love with you. I have been for the last three years and I will be for the rest of my life. I could never regret this Brooke." She stares at me for a long moment with watery eyes before grabbing my face and pulling my lips to hers. I don't hesitate in wrapping my arms around her and responding. Her lips move eagerly over mine as her fingers tangle in my hair. A moan escapes my lips as she presses against me and I tighten my grip on her. I think there's a tiny part of me that's afraid she'll disappear if I let her go.

"I'm sorry…" She murmurs when we finally separate, gasping for air. "I don't know why I get like this…"

"It's OK." I smile, leaning down to kiss the tears from her cheeks. "You're aloud to freak out with me. If you can't freak out with me, who can you freak out with?" I lift her chin to look into her eyes. "Just promise me one thing; no matter how scared you get, no matter how freaked out you get, any run-in you have with Haley or Lucas or anyone else, promise that you'll talk to me. Don't push me away, Brooke. We're in this together, good and bad."

"I promise." She smiles, her dimples appearing for the first time since I've come home.

"I love you Brooke Davis." I whisper, brushing my lips across hers softly. "I will always love you."

"I love you Nathan Scott." She deepens the kiss. Her arms snake around my neck and I lift her easily off the ground, sitting her gently on the counter. Her legs automatically fall open and she pulls me closer, hooking her legs around mine. "Nathan…" She breathes my name as my lips move to her neck and I feel her whole body shudder as I lap at the spot that I know is her weakness. How this amazing creature in front of me could ever think I would regret being with her is beyond me. She doesn't see what I see when she looks in the mirror but she will. If it takes me the rest of my life I'm going to make her see herself the way I see her, absolutely perfect just the way she is.

"We should stop…" I reluctantly pull away from her, trying to compose myself. She looks slightly dazed as her eyes slowly focus and she looks at me. "Eli's going to be awake soon and we don't need to scar him this young." I wink at her before kissing her nose and she laughs a little.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She says and slides off the counter easily. "Thank you." She leans up to kiss me one more time before wrapping her arms around me and resting her head against my chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You're never going to have to find out. I promise." I kiss the top of her head. Suddenly there's a slight bang coming from the living room and we look up to see a sleepy looking Eli walk into the kitchen rubbing his eyes.

"Mama?" He murmurs groggily and Brooke untangles herself from my arms before picking him up.

"Hi baby." She kisses his cheek lightly before smiling and turning to face me. "Look who's here." It takes him a second to focus his eyes on me but all of a sudden his tiny face erupts into a huge grin and my heart feels like it wants to explode in my chest. How is possible to love someone so much that you just met?

"Daddy!" He reaches out to me and I lift him easily out of Brooke's arms.

"Hey buddy. How was your nap?" I ask and he shrugs in a way that shocks me. That's my shrug. I swallow a sob as I look at Brooke, who simply smiles and nods. That shrug is one of many things that this little boy has apparently got from me.

"Can we go to the park?" Eli peers up at me and I don't even think about saying no to him. It's not possible. He has me in the palm of his hand and I think he knows it, considering the triumphant smile adorning his face at this moment. A smile he most definitely inherited from his mother because that devious grin has Brooke Davis written all over it.

"It's OK with me, if it's OK with your mom." I smile down at him before looking at Brooke, who's watching in almost awed fascination and I can't help but wonder what she's thinking about.

"Yeah, pal, we can go to the park. Why don't you go pick out the toys you want to bring and your dad and I will be right there." Your dad and I…. the term rolls off her tongue so easily and it brings a smile to my face as I set Eli on his feet and he scampers off to his room.

"What was that look?" I ask when we're alone and Brooke just smiles, she knows exactly what look I'm talking about.

"It's still shocking for me to see you two together." She shakes her head with a small sigh. "I never thought this day would ever come…." She pauses for a moment as she looks at me and I can see tears in her eyes again. "Seeing you with him; seeing you be his father is the single most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed."

"Well, it's pretty much the greatest thing I've ever experienced." My lips find hers almost of their own free will and I hear her sigh in contentment as she melts into me.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Christ, Brooke, how do you keep up with him?" I ask as I collapse on to the bench next to her and the two of us watch Eli play.

"You've got to learn to pace yourself, babe." She laughs a little and her hand caresses my cheek. "Otherwise, he'll wear you out in 20 minutes… as you can see." She laughs again and I throw a playful glare in her direction, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. She sighs happily as she leans against me, her eyes never leaving Eli.

"You know, you could have given me a heads up." I mutter and this time she laughs fully as though I've just said the funniest thing she's ever heard.

"Oh honey, even if I had, you wouldn't have believed me." She smiles glancing out a Eli to make sure he's OK. We're both quiet for a moment. "This was a good idea." She smiles again as Eli waves to us and we both wave back. "Part of me is still expecting to wake up and find out this is all a dream."

"It's not a dream." I whisper, placing a gentle kiss on her temple. "This is how it should have always been." I look down to see her smiling up at me and can't resist dipping my head to kiss her mouth.

"Ew…" We break apart to find Eli standing in front of us, his face scrunched up. "Daddy, come play with me again." He commands before turning on his heel and walking away in a very Brooke like manner.

"Well, apparently, I've been told." I laugh, dropping another kiss on her forehead before standing up. "Call an ambulance if I have a heart attack out there, OK?" It's her turn to laugh as I make may way toward our son who is waiting patiently on the swing set.

"Will you push me Daddy?" My heart contracts the way it does every time he call me dad. I stare at the little boy in front of me. Part of me still can't believe that he's mine; mine and Brooke's. We made him. He is living, breathing, walking proof of our love and that thought makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.

"You got it buddy." I ruffle his hair as I take my position behind the swing and give him a gentle push. Eli's laugh - my laugh - echoes through the playground.

"Higher!" He squeals in delight and I push him a little harder causing him to laugh again. I glance at Brooke, who's still seated on the bench watching us. I can see the tears glistening in her eyes. I pray they're tears of happiness. Her eyes meet mine and all of my fears are quashed as her face breaks into a glorious grin. Her smile makes me weak in the knees. It always has. Even when I was 7 and didn't know what love was, I knew that there was something special about the pretty brunette with the dimpled smile. Little did I realize back then that she would end up being the center of my whole world. Eli's loud laughter pulls me back to reality and I look up at my son who is gripping the chains tightly as he soars higher and higher.

"Hey guys, it's almost time for supper, we should probably go." Brooke calls, making her way towards and I stop the swing as Eli looks up at me with a frown. "Hey, no pouting. You have to eat." Brooke tickles him lightly and he laughs again.

"OK Mama." He says finally, holding his arms up to be lifted out of the swing. Brooke lifts him easily into her arms and brushes the hair from his face.

"So, where do you want to eat?" Brooke looks over at me as I gather Eli's things and we make our way towards the car.

"I don't know, what are you in the mood for?" I throw the bags in the trunk and take Eli from her, settling him securely in his car seat. It's so natural for us to be like this - a family. There's no awkwardness at all, it's like we've always been this way.

"I don't know…" Brooke shrugs as she climbs into the seat and I take my place behind the wheel. "What are you in the mood for?"

"I know! I know!" Eli suddenly pipes up from the back and we both turn to look at him. "I wanna see Karen!" The smile on Brooke's face is gone in an instant. "Please, Mama, please!" Eli's face drops into the puppy dog face he's perfected.

"Brooke, it's up to you." I whisper and she looks at me. I know she's dreading seeing Karen almost as much as she was dreading seeing Haley. Brooke loves Karen like her mother - hell Karen was more of a mother to her than her own ever was and her opinion means more to Brooke than almost anyone, except for maybe Haley.

"Ugh, yeah, it's OK…" She says after a minute, plastering a smile on her face as she looks back at Eli. "OK, buddy, we're going to go to Karen's."

"Yah!" Eli claps happily as Brooke and I turn around and I start the car.

"Are you sure?" I ask quietly as I pull the car out the parking lot and head towards Karen's Café.

"No." Brooke shakes her head, her eyes cloudy with worry. "But I'm going to have to see her sooner or later."

**A/N - I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update. Work has been ridiculous lately and I just haven't had the time. But I think I'm back into the groove so I should have a few more chapters up soon. I got struck by inspiration. This chapter is kind of just a filler, but I really like the way it turned out. Anyway, please review, because I love getting feedback from all of you!**


	10. Karen's Cafe

"Eli, wait for us please…" I call as my son pulls his hand out of mine and starts to run toward the café just down the street. "Elliot Keith Davis!" He skids to stop and turns to face me. "You know better than to run away from me." My eyebrows raise as I look down at him. "What do you say?"

"Sorry Mama." He shoots me an apologetic look and my heart melts. Nathan thinks that Eli has _him_ wrapped around his finger, he has no idea. There's nothing I wouldn't do for this little boy. I would walk through fire for him. I would give up my life for him and not think twice about it. It's why I couldn't tell Haley I regretted being with Nathan. There's nothing in this world that could ever make me regret having this amazing little boy in front of me.

"OK." I smile and told my hand out to him and he grips it tightly as I glance up at Nathan, who's watching us with a tender smile spread across his face. "What?" I question, my forehead crinkling in confusion.

"You're an amazing mother." He whispers, dropping a kiss on my temple as his arm slides around my waist. "You've done an amazing job with him. He's lucky to have you."

"Thank you." I feel my face get heated with a blush. We stop in front of Karen's Café and I take a deep breath. My stomach is doing somersaults and I try to calm myself down. Does Karen know? I'm sure she does. I'm sure by now either Haley or Lucas has told her everything. I cringe slightly.

"We don't have to do this." Nathan murmurs into my ear and I look up at him. His blue eyes are full of concern and I think I fall in love with him all over again.

"It's OK." I lean up and kiss him quickly before turning to Eli. "Alright, buddy, let's go." My eyes meet Nathan's one more time as I pull the door open and Eli scrambles inside with Nathan and I close behind.

"Hi Karen!" He waves happily at Lucas' mother. Karen freezes when she sees the three of us and I can't read her expression.

"Hi Elliot." Karen smiles down at my son and there's another moment of silence.

"Why don't Eli and I get a table." Nathan's voice breaks through the silence and I look up at him gratefully. "Come on buddy, we're going to let your mama talk to Karen for a minute." Nathan scoops Eli a laughing into his arms. His eyes meet mine for a second and he sends me a comforting smile before settling Eli at a table in the corner. I watch them for a long moment before turning back to face Karen.

"Did you talk to Lucas?" I ask hesitantly as I approach the counter.

"Yeah.." Karen frowns a little as she looks at me and nods. "He called me this morning, right after he left your house actually." She glances toward Nathan and Eli quickly before looking at me and I can't help but wonder what she's thinking. "How's Eli doing with all of this? Lucas said that he walked in on some of the fighting." Maybe it shouldn't be but its comforting to know that she's concerned about my son. But Karen's a mother first and foremost so it's not surprising that her first thought would be for Eli's well being.

"He's OK." I say with a smile looking over my shoulder at my son. "I don't think he really understands everything that's going on." I bite my lip nervously as I look at the woman who is the closest thing to a mother I've ever had.

"Good." Karen nods, satisfied. We're both quiet for a long moment.

"Is it OK that we're here?" I ask slowly. I wish I knew what she was thinking. I hate not knowing what she's thinking. Karen is quiet for a long moment as she looks at me.

"You're always welcome here Brooke." She says finally and reaches out, squeezing my hand. Relief floods my body. I feel like I could burst into tears I'm so relieved. "I can never condone what you did. It was wrong but you already know that. So I'm not going to lecture you, because I'm pretty sure you're beating yourself up enough. But I know love when I see it." She glances over my shoulder with a small smile. "The way he's watching you right now, that's definitely love. You have the same expression when you look at him and when he looks at that little boy of yours, there's no denying how much he loves him."

"I didn't mean for this to happen, Karen." I blink back tears as I look at her. "It just did."

"I know." She nods before coming around the counter and enveloping me in a warm hug. "What's done is done Brooke." She pulls away to look at me. She wipes the tears from my eyes. "You just have to try and move on. Make the best of the situation that you're in now."

"But Haley…." My voice comes out in a cracked whisper. Karen gives me a sad smile as she shakes her head.

"I don't know if Haley is ever going to be able get past this but that's the chance you took. You knew the consequences so now you have to ask yourself if it was worth it." She looks over my shoulder again and I turn to look at Nathan and Eli. Eli's coloring happily and Nathan is watching us intensely. A smile spreads across my face as Nathan's eyes meet mine and I feel a rush of warmth.

"They're definitely worth it." I look back at Karen and she nods at me with a small smile.

"I figured you would see it that way." She reaches for my hand again. "I'm not going to lie Brooke, you have an uphill battle but if anyone can get through it, it's the two of you. You and Nathan are connected, that much is obvious."

"Thank you Karen." I hug her one more time, holding on as tightly as I can. It's comforting to know that Karen is here; that I can come to her. "I hope that this isn't going to cause problems with Lucas."

"Don't you worry about my son." Karen smiles one more time. "Now, you go join you're family. Order whatever you want, it's on the house." I nod silently and she touches my cheek one more time before heading into the kitchen and I turn to look at Nathan and Eli but freeze when I see the door open and Lucas and Peyton step inside.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lucas' blue eyes flash angrily as he looks at me. "You've got some nerve coming in here." I see Nathan start to stand and I look at him, shaking my head silently. He hesitates for a moment before sitting back down next to Eli.

"Haley's going to be here in a few minutes and I want the both of you gone before she gets here." His voice is low but his anger is obvious and I cringe. I hate that this is how it's going to be from now on. "You've done enough to her, you don't need to rub it in her face too."

"Luke…" Peyton's tone has an edge of warning to it and the two us look at her. "Don't speak to her like that."

"Are you kidding me?" Luke stares at her for a moment in shock. "Are you defending her? Defending what she did?"

"Peyton, you don't have to do this." I speak up and Peyton shakes her head in my direction.

"Yes, actually, I do Brooke." She says quietly, giving me a small smile before looking back at Lucas. "You don't have any right to speak to her that way."

"I have every right to speak to her that way." Lucas stares at Peyton in disbelief. "Haley's my friend. She's your friend. She was supposed to be Brooke's friend. I'm not just going to sit by and do nothing." He shakes his head. "How can you possibly be OK with this, with what they did?"

"I never said I was OK with it." Peyton sighs heavily. "But they know what they did was wrong; they certainly don't need you to tell them that. And how can you be angry with them when we did the exact same thing?" I want to jump in. I want to tell Peyton to stop talking right now. As much as I love her for defending me, I don't want to cause problems between her and Luke. I jump a little when I feel Nathan's arm wrap around my shoulder. I look up at him with a worried expression and he places a soft kiss on my temple.

"It's not the same thing, Peyton." Lucas scoffs. "We were in love."

"Look at them, Luke!" Peyton sighs in exasperation as she points at the two of us. "Look at them and tell me that that's not love!" Lucas' eyes slide over to us and his eyes cloud over.

"I can't believe this." He shakes his head. "I can't believe you." He throws a glance in Peyton's direction before storming out of the café.

"I'm sorry." Peyton sighs as she starts after him but I reach out to stop her.

"Let me P. Sawyer." She looks conflicted. "Please, you defended me, now let me defend you." She nods slowly and I turn to Nathan. "Stay with Eli." I glance at my son, who thankfully is too wrapped up in his coloring book to pay attention to the adults. "I'll be right back."

"OK." His kisses my forehead quickly before I turn and head out the door after Lucas. I'm not even entirely sure why I'm doing this. It's not like he's going to listen to me, but I have to try. I have to try for Peyton and for Nathan. I can see him in the distance and I take a breath before I set off after him.

"Luke!" I call loudly as I start to catch up to me. He pauses momentarily at the sound of my voice and for a second I think he's going to stop but he keeps on walking. Sighing, I pick up a faster pace. "Lucas!" I grab his arm, forcing him to stop.

"What do you want, Brooke?" He turns to look at me and I wince at the look in his eyes.

"Please don't be mad at Peyton." I say slowly. "She's just trying to be my friend."

"Why should I do anything for you?" Lucas eyes me with disdain. I'm starting to think that maybe this was a mistake. I thought that I could reason with him. I thought that there was a small part of him that remembered I was still the same girl he used to know, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he'll never get past this.

"Don't do it for me Luke, do it for Peyton, the woman you claim to love." I pause for a moment as I look at the man in front of me. "If you can't forgive us than that's something that Nathan and I will have to live with but don't punish Peyton for our mistakes. She loves you, don't hurt her because you're angry with us."

"Brooke, I can't just be fine with you and Nathan!" Lucas lets out a frustrated sigh as he runs his fingers through his hair. For the first time I really see how difficult this is for him.

"I'm not asking you to be fine with us." I shake my head slowly. "I don't expect you to be. Don't let your issues with us ruin what you have with Peyton."

"I can't do this right now." He turns away from me and starts to walk away.

"Luke!" I call again and he hesitates momentarily before looking back at me. "I know that I probably no right to say this to you and it's probably the worst time ever but even if you can't forgive me, can you try to forgive Nathan because I know he hates being at odds with you." I blink back tears. I don't know if I should be doing this or not. I'm probably making things worse but I pleaded Peyton's case and now I have to try to plead Nathan's. He needs his brother. He'll never say it but I know he does. "You're his big brother, Luke. He loves you and he needs you."

"He should have thought about that before he cheated on his wife with the likes of you." He snaps at me and I recoil at the viciousness of his words. "I don't have a brother." He turns on his heel and stalks away from me. Well that certainly didn't go the way I had hoped it would. I stay rooted where I am as I watch his figure get smaller and smaller. What happened to the sweet broody boy I used to know? When had he been replaced with the angry spiteful man I was just talking to? Did I do that? Was it my return and the ensuing chaos that caused this? Guilt surges through me. I can only pray that Peyton will be able to patch things up with him. I'm already the reason Haley's miserable, I don't want to be the reason Peyton's miserable too. I rub my hand over my face wearily and head back to Karen's. Sighing heavily I pull the door open and step inside to find Nathan, Peyton, Eli and Haley all staring at me.

"Mama, Haywey is here." Eli grins happily at me from Nathan's arms. A tiny smile finds my face as I look at him.

"I can see that baby." I cross the room to brush the hair from his face and turn to look at Haley for the first time. "Ugh… I think Luke is headed to the river court if you're wondering." Haley nods silently, glancing at Peyton.

"Are you coming?" Her voice comes out a little strangled.

"I don't think he wants to see me right now." Peyton shakes her head and Haley nods again.

"I should go." Her gaze slides to me and Nathan. I fight the urge to move away from Nathan, Luke's words echoing in my head. I feel Nathan squeeze my fingers gently. Haley's eyes land on our entwined hands and her eyes cloud over. I want to ask her to stay. I want to throw my arms around her and beg her not to leave but I can't. This is torture for her and I won't make things worse for her by being that selfish. Haley takes a deep breath before turning to leave.

"Bye Haywey!" Eli calls to her innocently. His voice causes her to steps to falter momentarily. She glances over her shoulder and blinks back tears as she gives my son a weak smile.

"Bye Eli." She whispers before fleeing the café as quickly as possible. I turn away from Eli as tears fill my eyes. I don't want him to see me crying. He shouldn't see that. I blink back the tears and take a deep breath as I turn back to the others.

"You should go after him P. Sawyer." I look at my blonde friend. "You guys need to work this out."

"I appreciate you trying Brooke but I think Luke and I need to handle this on our own." She pulls me into a hug. "But I love you for trying."

"I'm sorry that I wasn't more help." I frown a little as I pull away from her. "I'm sorry that I put you in the middle of this." Peyton just looks at me before shaking her head.

"Brooke..." She begins but I stop her.

"Really, just go make up with Lucas. Tell him whatever he needs to hear. We'll be fine." I glance up at Nathan, who nods.

"She's right, Peyton, we'll be fine, we understand." Nathan smiles at her encouragingly.

"I know that you guys would be fine. But I wouldn't be." Peyton shrugs a little "I'm not just gong to turn my back on you. But thank you for caring." She looks over at Nathan with a smile before looking at Eli. "Come on, I know we're all starving. We should eat. Are you hungry Eli?" She looks at my little boy expectantly and Eli nods enthusiastically.

"I'm starving P. Sawyer." I can't help but burst out laughing hearing him call Peyton by the nickname I gave her so many years ago and pretty soon all three of are laughing, gushing over Eli as he looks at us as though we've completely lost our minds.

**A/N - I know, anther chapter so quickly but it sort of just came out of me. Anyway, I hope you guys like it. Please review! I own nothing!**


	11. River Court Conversation

**A/N - So, here's the new chapter. It's in Brooke's POV again. Nathan will be back next chapter. This might be the last chapter for a little while because I'm going to the Dominican next week and I'm not sure I'll be able to update again before I leave. I'm going to try but I can't make any promises. **

**Anyway, here it is. I hope you like it. Please review! I own nothing**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

It's been over a week since the incident at Karen's. That's what I've been calling it, "the incident". Every time I think about it I want to cry. The Lucas I used to know would never be so cruel. The Lucas I used to know _could_ never be so cruel. I miss that Lucas; the one who took one look at me at Nathan and Haley's wedding, instantly knew that I was hurting and went out of his way to make sure that I was OK. I miss the Lucas who was the only person who could make me smile during the single worst day of my life. I always knew that I would lose Haley when the truth came out. That was a given. I knew the consequences of my actions when it came to Haley but I didn't think I would lose Lucas. I knew he would be angry, I knew he would be hurt and I knew that he would want to protect Haley but I never thought that I would lose him forever. And now it feels like I have. After everything Lucas and I been through together I never thought that this would be the end.

"Hey… what are you thinking about?" I jump a little as Nathan slides his arms around my waist and kisses my neck softly.

"Lucas and Haley." I look up at him for a long moment. His blue eyes are watching me with worry and it only makes me love him more. He's always so concerned about my well being; how I'm holding up, if _I'm_ OK even though I know that this whole situation has to be killing him too.

"Baby…" He tightens my arms and drops a kiss on my shoulder. I don't know how he does it. I don't know how the smallest gesture from him can completely calm in way that nothing else possibly could. Just when I feel as though I'm about fall over the edge, somehow he always pulls me back. "How's Peyton?" His words bring me back to reality. "Has she talked to Luke?"

"No." I shake my head with a sigh as I think about my blonde friend. Peyton's miserable. She says she's fine but I know she's lying. "She won't call him. I told her to. I told her that she should just apologize but she refuses." I shake my head and let out another sigh. "So many people have gotten hurt because of me…."

"Shhh…." He turns me in his arms so I'm facing him and I bury my face in his chest as his arms envelop me tightly.

"I have to fix this." I look up at him for a moment before pulling out of his arms. "I at least have to try." Nathan looks like he's about to protest but I stop him. "My actions caused all of this Nate, I have to try to fix it." I tell him, determination etched across my face.

"Are you sure?" He asks, gently brushing the hair from my face and I nod silently. "OK." He leans down and brushes his lips over mine, pulling me back into his arms. I melt against him for a moment. Sometime I think he still worries that I have doubts about us and I wish that I could quash his fears but I don't know how. Words don't seem to be enough. I have absolutely no doubts when it comes to Nathan. He's the father of my child; the love of my life; my soul mate. I've never been more sure of anything in my life. This man is my home.

"I love you." I whisper as we slowly separate.

"I love you too." He kisses my forehead in that reassuring way of his that can put me at ease no matter how worked up I am.

"Eli's still sleeping but I hope I'll be back before he wakes." I reach for my keys and purse before turning back to him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" He asks, his blue eyes are full of concern. "We could call Karen or Peyton to stay with Eli…"

"I think I need to do this alone." I lean up to kiss him one more time. "I'll be back before you know it."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

I pause as I approach the River Court and watch Lucas in the distance. I can still remember the first time I ever came here. He was nothing but a conquest to me then. I never imagined that he would end up being such a huge part of my life. He brought me so many things. He brought me Haley, which was probably the best gift he ever gave me even if I lost it. Taking a deep breath, I slowly make my way towards the basketball court. Lucas stops playing when he sees me.

"What do you want Brooke?" His voice doesn't have that cold edge to it that I've gotten used to so I'll take that as a step in the right direction.

"Can we talk?" I ask slowly. I'm expecting him to start flipping out at any second so when he nods silently and walks toward the picnic table I'm shocked to say the least. "You need to talk to Peyton." I say quietly as I take a seat next to him and he looks over at me, shaking his head slightly.

"Peyton…. that's what you want to talk about?" He scoffs a little and I look at him for a long time before sighing heavily.

"Well I certainly don't want to talk about Nathan or Haley if you're just going to start yelling at me again." I stare at my hands. I'm almost afraid to look at him.

"I don't want to yell at you." It's Lucas' turn to sigh. "I don't like fighting with you. I just…" He breaks off for a moment and I can see his mind working over time as he tries to form his thoughts. "You and Nathan? I just don't understand how you could do that. Did you not think about the consequences of your actions? About the lives that you were going to turn upside down? I thought you were better than that." His words sting and I'm starting to wish I had let Nathan come with me.

"If you mean Haley, I know Lucas." I blink back tears and swallow the sob in my throat. "I hate myself for what I did to her. I don't have an excuse. There's nothing I can say that will ever justify what I did. The only explanation I have is that I love him. I love him with everything I have." A few stray tears fall from my eyes and I quickly brush them away. "I didn't want to love him, Luke. I tried not to. I tried to push him away but I couldn't. He was like a magnet and the more I resisted, the stronger the pull to him was. That pull was so strong I left. I ran as fast and as far away as I could but it didn't change anything. The moment I saw him, there it was again." I pause to take breath and slowly let it out. "So, yes, I know the consequences of what I've done. I have to live with the reality that Haley will never forgive me for this; that I have lost her forever. You don't need to tell me that."

"What you did, it affects more than just Haley." Lucas' voice is low and I turn to look at him, confused.

"You and Peyton?" I shake my head slowly. "This shouldn't affect you and Peyton. You need to make this right with her Luke. She's just trying to be my friend. I meant what I said, don't let your issues with me and Nathan ruin what you two have together."

"I'm not talking about Peyton." Lucas runs his fingers through his hair and lets out a frustrated sigh. "God, are you really that blind? He's using you Brooke. He's going to toss you aside just like he did to Haley."

"No he won't." I say slowly. I stare at Lucas. I can't believe that he actually thinks so little of his brother. Maybe once upon time Nathan was like that, but he hasn't been that person for a long time. "Nathan loves me and more importantly he loves Eli." I pause as Lucas looks over at me, his blue eyes staring intently into mine. "You're Eli's uncle. I want him to know you. You had Keith and I want my son to have you."

"I want to know him too Brooke, but…" He looks away from me, starting out at the river for a long moment. "What if I said that I don't want to be a part of his life as just his uncle."

"What?" I'm completely confused. What the hell is talking about? "Luke, I…"

"It wasn't just because of Haley." His words catch me off guard and I stare at him. "I mean, yes, I was angry at what the two of you did to her but…." My heart starts to race as he trails off. What is he doing? What the hell is he doing? "Something just snapped inside of me when I found out that you had been with him… that you had a son with him." He shakes his head. "I never even crossed your mind, did I?" He shoots me a glance. "You never thought about what this would do to me."

"What are you talking about?" I can barely breathe. This can not be happening. This absolutely can not be happening. I must be having a nightmare. Yes, this is a nightmare and any moment I'm going to wake up in Nathan's arms and everything will be fine and this will not be happening.

"You know what I'm talking about." Lucas grabs my shoulders and forces me to look at him. "He's my brother, Brooke. How could you not know what this would to do me? Seeing you with him; seeing him touch you, it made me sick to my stomach because I couldn't help but think that it should've been me."

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Anger surges through me as I roughly push him away and stand up to face him, my eyes flashing. "Who the hell do you think you are?" I have never wanted to hurt another human being as much as I want to hurt Lucas Scott at this moment. "You destroyed me Lucas! You chose Peyton and you destroyed me_. _Did you ever stop to think about what _that_ would do me? And you have the nerve to stand here and tell me that _I_ hurt _you _by moving on! What the hell did you expect me to do? Was I not supposed to move on? Did you expect to me to sit around pining for you for the rest of my life?"

"Did you have to move on with my brother?" Luke looks at me miserably and for a moment I almost crack. "I mean, my brother, Brooke…" He lowered his voice even more. "I know that you think I didn't care about you but I did. I still care about you and it's not easy for me to see you with Nathan."

"Why are you doing this?" Tears fill my eyes and I don't even bother to fight them. "Lucas this is so far in the past. Why would you bring this up? Why would you do this to Nathan? To Peyton?"

"I think I'm still in love with you." The words hit me like a ton of bricks and I literally stumble backwards a few steps. "Brooke, I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you want to hear but you are all I have thought about for the last two weeks."

"Well stop thinking about me!!" I practically scream at him. This can not be happening. How could he possibly be so stupid. What does he expect me to do? Does he think that I'll just run back into his arms like all these years never happened? Does he think that after everything Nathan and I sacrificed to be together that I'll just forget him in an instance? Does he think that I could possibly hurt another one of my friends the way I hurt Haley?

"You don't mean that." He walks closer to me and I take a step back. "You can't tell me that you don't feel something for me."

"Luke, you know how much I care about you." I shake my head and drop my head as tears spring to my eyes. "And it took us such a long time to get back to a good place." I look up at him. "But…"

"No buts." He places a finger on my lips, silencing me. "Just think about it Brooke. We were good together. We could be good together again. I love you, Pretty Girl." Before I know what's happening his lips are on mine and I stand in shock for a minute before coming to my senses and pushing away from him.

"Damn it Luke!" I glare at him. "Are you an idiot?" I hit his chest as hard as I can. "This is situation is bad enough and I don't need you messing it up even more!" He opens his mouth to speak but I stop him. "No, I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear one more single word from you." I'm shaking. I'm so angry that my whole body is actually shaking and I can barely form coherent sentences. "I'm going to pretend this never happened. And you, you're going to make up with Peyton. And your going to make up with your brother because they love you but I don't want you to come near me again!" I turn on my heel and stalk away from him. I'm so livid I can barely see. I can not believe that he could be so stupid! Why would he do that? How could he do that to Peyton and Nathan?

"Brooke!" I hear Lucas' voice behind me calling my name desperately. Like hell I'm turning around to talk to him. I have nothing to say to him. "Brooke! Look Out!" Those are the last words I hear before tires screech on the pavement and everything goes black.

**I know some of you might not like this chapter, but bare with me! I promise everything will make sense and there is a method to my madness. :)**


	12. Please Wake Up

"It's OK buddy." I bounce Eli in my arms as I glance at the clock. Brooke's been gone a long time and I'm really starting to get worried. Eli's been asking for her and I don't know what to tell him. I glance at the phone, wondering if I should try her cell phone again. I can't help but worry that her and Lucas got into another argument. I wish she had let me go with her.

"Where's mama?" Eli asks as he peers up at me. "I want mama."

"I know buddy." I kiss his forehead softly. "Your mama will be home soon." I whisper, glancing at the clock again. "Why don't play with your trucks." I set him on the floor and kiss his head once more. I'm about to reach for the phone when the doorbell rings. Hope surges through me that it's Brooke and she just lost her keys. That hope quickly dies when I open the door to find Karen standing on my front step. Fear hits me when I see tears in her eyes. "Karen, what's going on?" I ask as she steps inside and turns to face me. My heart's pounding in my chest.

"Nathan, it's Brooke." Her voice is barely a whisper. "There's been an accident." Her words are like a punch in the stomach and I suddenly can't breathe. Accident?

"Is she…" The words get caught in my throat.

"I don't know." Karen shakes her head. "Lucas called me on the way to the hospital. I don't know what happened. I just came right over here to tell you."

"She can't…" I feel light headed as I look at her and Karen grabs my hand, forcing me to look at her.

"Nathan! Look at me!" She commands and I stare down at her. "You need to go." I look at Eli helplessly who thankfully is blissfully unaware of what's going on. "I'll stay with Eli. You need to go. Brooke needs you." The sound of her name brings me back to reality.

"Thank you Karen." I grab my keys and cross the room to kneel down next to Eli. "I have to go out buddy." I swallow a sob and force myself not to cry. I don't want to scare him. "But Karen's going to stay with you OK?" Eli looks up at me for a moment before looking at Karen and then back at me before nodding. I kiss his head quickly and Karen squeezes my hand one more time before I bolt out the door.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Brooke Davis. I'm looking for Brooke Davis." I slam my hand down on the nurses desk when I get to the hospital. She looks up at me with a slight scowl but I couldn't care less. I need to find Brooke.

"Excuse me sir, but…" She begins and what little patience I have snaps.

"You listen to me." I slam my hand on the desk again. "This is woman I'm going to spend my life with. She's the mother of my child and I'm not going anywhere until you type whatever you have to into that computer and tell me where the hell she is!"

"Nathan…" I turn at the sound of my name and find a pale Lucas standing behind me.

"Luke, Jesus, what the hell happened?" I practically shake him. "Where is she? Is she OK?" I feel another sob rise in my throat and I try to fight it. I can't break down right now. I have to be strong for Brooke.

"She was hit by a car. They're working on her right now. The doctor said he would be out as soon as they knew anything." Lucas says finally and I collapse against the wall as his words wash over me.

"Where's the bastard that did this to her?" My eyes flash angrily as I look at my brother. "Where is he? I'm going to kill him." When I get my hands on the son of a bitch that caused this, he's not going to have a breath left in his body.

"I ugh…" Lucas begins slowly but is cut off by the door opening and a doctor appearing.

"Mr. Scott?" Luke and I both look up and the doctor motions us toward him as he starts walking down the hall to us.

"Is she all right?" My voice is shaking. So much for being strong for Brooke. She has to be OK. I just got her back. I can't lose her again. Eli can't lose her.

"Ms. Davis sustained some very serious injuries." The doctor began, looking from me to Lucas and back again. "She had some internal bleeding, which we seem to have under control. She's stable but there was some head trauma. She unconscious, so it's sort of just a waiting game right now."

"Unconscious?" It's a word I've heard a million times before and yet right now it sounds so foreign. "What does that mean? Is she going to wake up?"

"It's hard to say." The doctor looks at me sympathetically and I fight the urge to hit him. I don't want his god damn sympathy. He doesn't know what he's talking about. This is Brooke. My Brooke. She's a fighter. She'll beat this. There's no way she'll leave Eli without a fight. "The good news is we were able to save the pregnancy."

"Pregnancy?" My mouth drops open in shock. Brooke's pregnant?

"I take you didn't it know." The doctor says slowly. "That's understandable. It's very likely that Brooke didn't even know. She's not far along. Less than 4 weeks. We're monitoring the baby closely but everything seems to be fine." My head is spinning. Brooke's pregnant? We're going to have another baby?

"Can we see her?" Lucas speaks for the first time and I look at him. I'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Of course. But only one at a time." The doctor nods slowly and Lucas looks over at me.

"You go." He says after a moment. "You're the one she would want." I see something flash behind his eyes but it's so quick I can't be sure what it is. I nod and start to follow the doctor but stop to turn back to my brother.

"Peyton…" I say suddenly and he looks at me. "You should call her. I don't know if she knows or not. But can you not tell her about the baby. Brooke doesn't even know yet, she should know before everyone else does." Luke nods silently and I head down the hall with the doctor. We pause outside a private room and he I take a deep breath as he opens the door and ushers me in. I freeze when I see her lying in the bed. Besides the cuts and scraps on her face and arms, she looks like she's sleeping. She looks like she'll open her eyes at any moment and tell me to stop watching her sleep because it's creepy. The steady beep of her heart monitor does little to calm my already frayed nerves. I slowly walk toward the bed and reach for her hand but hesitate, looking back at the doctor. "Is it OK? I mean, this won't hurt her will it?"

"Not at all." The doctor gives me a small smile. "Physical contact is good. Just be mindful of the IV. You should talk to her too. Studies have shown that talking to the patients has brought them back much faster." The doctor pauses for a moment. "I'll give you some time." He excuses himself and I turn back to Brooke. Tears fill my eyes as I slowly sit down in the chair next to the bed and gently reach for her hand, brushing my fingers across her skin.

"Hey baby…" My voice cracks as I softly kiss the back of her hand. "Listen, you've got get better OK?" I don't bother to wipe the tears from my eyes. "We just found each other again so you can't leave me. I need you. Eli needs you." I gently place my hand on her flat stomach and swallow the sob that's rising in my throat. "This little one needs you too." Tear spill down my cheeks. "So you've got to walk up, Brooke, because we've got our whole lives ahead of us. This isn't how we end, baby. We're going to get married" Tears swim in my eyes as I look down at her. "And we're going to grow old together." I whisper. "And we're going to spoil our grandkids together because this isn't the end of our story. We're only at the beginning." I kiss her hand again. "You've just got to wake up for me. You just need to open your eyes."

"Nate…" I jump at the sound of my name and look up to find Peyton standing in the door. She looks like she's about to break into tears at any second.

"Hey Peyton." I reluctantly let go of Brooke's hand and cross the room to hug her. I'm glad she's here. My mind drifts to Haley. Brooke would want Haley here. Should I call her?

"How is she?" Peyton's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I look back at Brooke and slowly sit down again.

"Physically the doctor says she should be fine…" I trail off and gently pick her hand up, brushing my lips across her fingers again. "But I guess there was some sort of head trauma and they don't know when she's going to wake up." Peyton's eyes flutter closed for a moment and she looks like she's about to be pass out.

"What does that mean?" I can hear the fear in Peyton's voice.

"It means they don't know what they're talking about." I whisper, my eyes never leaving Brooke. "They've obviously never met Brooke. She'll pull out of this. She's a fighter."

"That's right." Peyton nods, taking a seat on the other side of the bed. "Do you hear that B. Davis? You've got to fight as hard as you can. You've got to come back to us."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Nathan, wake up…" I feel someone shake me and I wake with a start. I look around confused for a moment before my eyes focus on Peyton standing over me and everything comes rushing back. My eyes seek Brooke and for a split second hope surges through me but her sleeping form brings me crashing back to earth. "Nathan, why don't you go home. Get some sleep." Peyton lays her hand gently on my shoulder as I reach for Brooke's hand. "I bet seeing Eli would do wonders for you right now."

"No." I shake my head without moving my eyes from Brooke. "I'm not going to leave her. What if she wakes up? I'm not going to leave and have her wake up alone." I lean forward and softly kiss her forehead. I glance at her mouth, part of me hoping that her lips with curl into that smile I love so much. "You should go get some rest, Peyton. You've been here for hours. You must be exhausted." Peyton looks conflicted and I reluctantly let go of Brooke and stand up to face her. "It's OK, really. I'll walk you out." Peyton stares at me for a moment before slowly nodding and turning to look at Brooke.

"I'll be back soon, B. Davis." She whispers, squeezing her hand gently before I lead her from the room. We ride the elevator in silence, both of us caught up in our own thoughts. We step out into the cool air and Peyton pauses to look at me. "I can take it from here, Scott." She says quietly before wrapping her arms around me. "You should get back to her. I'll stop by the house and check on Eli if you want."

"That would be great. Thank you Peyton." I look at her gratefully. She nods and hugs me one more time before heading toward the parking lot. I watch her until she's safely in her car before turning and heading back into the hospital. I pause at a vending machine to get a quick cup of coffee and make my way to Brooke's room again. I turn the corner and stop when I see Haley sitting in the chair that I was occupying only a few minutes ago.

"I came as soon as I could, Brooke." Her voice is thick with emotion and I can see tears glistening in her eyes as she picks Brooke's limp hand in hers and holds onto it tightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner." Her head drops for a moment and I can tell that she's trying to fight the tears. "You have to wake up, Brooke." She says after a moment, slowly raising her head to look at Brooke again. "You've got to wake up for Eli. You have this amazing little boy and he loves you so much. He needs you." She doesn't even attempt to wipe the tears away as they spill from her eyes. "Nathan needs you." She pauses for a moment. "Anyone can see how much he loves you. You can't leave him. He barely got through the last time you left so you can't do it again." Haley's quiet for a long time as she stares at Brooke's peaceful face. "And I need you, Tigger." She swipes quickly at her cheeks. "We can't leave things the way they are between us. You've got to wake up because what we said, those can't be the last words that we say to each other." Haley shakes her head almost desperately. "I should have called you. I should have gone to see you. I wanted to but my stupid pride got in the way. Please just wake up. Please wake up so I can tell you that I love you and I forgive you." Haley's voice cracks. "Please Brooke, please wake up. You have to wake up." I slowly make my way into the room and gently lay my hand on Haley's on shoulder. She jumps before looking up at me. "Oh god, Nathan!" She throws her arms around me as the tears she had been fighting finally win. "Is she going to be OK? Please tell me she's going to be OK?" She looks up at me, her eyes pleading. "When is she going to wake up?"

"They don't know." I say quietly. My eyes slide to Brooke and my stomach clenches. Haley was right. She has to wake up. There was no if, ands or buts about it. She has to wake up.

"She has to get better. She has to be all right." Haley collapses in the chair and drops her head in her hands. "She thinks I hate her. What if she dies thinking I hate her?" She looks up at me, tears streaking her face. "The last thing I said to her was that I wished she had never come back. Those can't be the last words that I say to her. They just can't." Haley shakes her head again before dropping it back into her hands. "I need to tell her that I love her. I need to tell her that no matter what I'll always love her."

"Haley, shh…." I kneel next to the chair and wrap my arms around her.

"The things I said to her…" Haley shakes her head. "I didn't really mean them. I was just hurt." She buries her face in her hands for a moment. "What if I never get to tell her?"

"You'll get the chance." I say quietly and she looks up at me. "She's going to wake up. I'm sure of it. Because I just got her back and God's not that cruel." I blink back tears as I glance at Brooke and Haley reaches for my hand.

"I'm sorry for the things I said to you too Nathan." Haley whispers and I look over at her slowly. "I know you that you never set out to hurt me and I can see how much you love her." She takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out.

"Haley, it wasn't that I didn't love you." I begin slowly. On one hand, it feels weird having this conversation here but on the other hand I know Brooke would be just happy to know we're talking. "I did love you but with Brooke…"

"I know." Haley gives me a small smile, patting my hand gently. "You two are meant to be together. I can see that now. I saw it at Karen's and I can see it your eyes right now; how much you love her." Tears fill her eyes and she quickly blinks them away as she looks down at her lap. "I don't know what I'll do if we lose her." She shakes her head slowly. "I don't know how to live in a world that doesn't have Brooke Davis in it."

"She's pregnant." The words are out of my mouth before I even realize that I'm thinking them. I don't what possesses me to tell her, but the one thing I'm sure of is that Haley should know. Brooke would want her to know.

"Oh my God!" Haley gasps in shock. "When? How? I…."

"The doctor just told me." My voice is quiet as I look at Brooke. "She's not far along, less than a month. But the good news is the baby's doing OK for now but they're going to keep monitoring him."

"Him?" Haley eyes me with a smirk and I can't help but laugh a little.

"Or her. Whichever, as long they're both healthy. That's all I care about." I lean down and brush my lips across Brooke's hand.

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order." Haley smiles and pulls me into a hug. "You're going to be a amazing father. You are already are." She pulls away to look at me. "Eli was completely in love with you from the moment he met you and this new little one is going to love you just as much." Haley squeezes my hand. "Well, that seals the deal, Brooke Davis." Haley looks over at her. "You don't get a choice anymore. You have to wake up now because you've got this precious baby growing inside you and he's just one more person that needs you. We're all waiting for you Tigger. So when you're ready to come back to us we'll be here."

**A/N - Alright, so much for me not posting before I go away (LOL). I started writing last night and I couldn't stop. I was literally up until 2 a.m. I hope you guys like where I'm taking the story. Like I said before I promise everything will make sense in time. I know there's like no Lucas in this chapter, which may seem kind of odd considering the last chapter, but that was done intentionally and everything that happened in the last chapter will be dealt with I promise. OK, that's it. I'm going to stop rambling now! Please review! Even if you think it sucks, I'd like to know so I can try to fix it! OK thanks!**


	13. One Week Later

**A/N - Hey guys! I'm back! Here's the next chapter. It's kind of a filler chapter but it is kind of setting up the next part of the story and I think it turned out OK. So I hope you guys like it. This chapter is Nathan's POV. The next chapter should be up really soon. As always, I own nothing. Please take the time review because you know I love hearing thoughts. Take care!**

**XO**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________________**

"When's mama coming home?" Eli asks me as I make his breakfast a week later. I look at him for a moment before lifting him into his chair and placing his breakfast in front of him.

"I don't know buddy." I say finally and swallow the lump in my throat. "Your mama's sleeping. She had an accident and she needs to sleep so she can get better." I don't know what else to say to him. I don't know how to explain this to him so he'll understand. The truth is, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. It doesn't matter how much I love him, he needs his mother and he doesn't understand why she's not here.

"I miss her." He says in a whisper and I cringe when I see his tiny face crumple and tears fill his eyes.

"I know you do pal." I lift him into my arms and he buries his face in my shoulder. "I miss her too." I close my eyes and take a breath for a moment before looking down at him. The doorbell rings and I shift Eli in my arms as I make my way to the door and pull it open to find Haley in front of me.

"Hey…" She gives me a small smile before sending a worried glance in Eli's direction, who is still clinging to my neck. "What's wrong?" She mouths to me as she comes in and closes the door behind her.

"Brooke." I mouth back and her mouth drops in an 'O'. Haley stares at my son for a long moment before pulling out her cell phone. She holds her index finger up to me as she slips down the hall for privacy. I rock Eli back and forth, doing my best to comfort him as I stare down the hall where Haley is whispering into her phone. A few moments later, she emerges from the hall, shoving her phone back into her purse.

"Eli, honey…." Haley says quietly as she approaches us. Eli doesn't respond but simply tightens his grip on my neck. "Would you like to go see your mama today?" He lifts his head and looks at me before slowly looking at Haley.

"Really?" He asks, his voice has a hint of suspicion in it, almost like he doesn't really believe her.

"Yeah, really." Haley smiles down at him. "And do you know what I bet she would love? A picture of you. We'll put it in her room and it'll be the first thing she sees when she wakes up. Do you want to go find one for her?"

"Am I really going to see mama today?" He looks at me for confirmation and I glance at Haley quickly before nodding.

"If Haley says so than I guess we are." I set him on his feet and he makes his way to his room in search of a picture to bring to his mother. "Are we aloud to do this? I thought he was too young?" I ask as soon as he's out of earshot.

"He is, technically. I explained the situation. They said they'd make an exception." Haley shrugs a little and I stare at her for a moment before enveloping her in a hug.

"Thank you!" I whisper before pulling away. "He misses her so much and I don't know what to do for him." I take a deep breath.

"That's Brooke's baby." Haley says a little sadly. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for him." She pauses for a moment to glance over her shoulder for Eli before looking back at me. "So, what do the doctors have to say? Has there been any change at all?"

"No." I shake my head with a sigh. "But he said that's good. At least she hasn't gotten worse and the baby's getting stronger everyday. Basically, she could wake up tomorrow or she may never wake up." I shake my head again as tears fill my eyes. "I promised her that I would take care of her; that I would protect her and I just feel so helpless, Haley. I feel like I should be doing something more."

"Hey, stop." Haley tells me sternly and I quickly wipe my eyes as I look at her. "This wasn't your fault Nathan. It was an accident."

"The bastard that hit her, he got off with a slap on the wrist." I close my eyes for a moment to try and calm down. I don't want Eli to see me like this. "He had the nerve to say that she ran out in front of him."

"Nathan, it was an accident." Haley says again and I just shake my head. "The investigation proved that. The driver wasn't drinking, he wasn't under the influence of any drugs. There were witnesses that said Brooke didn't check before she started to cross the road. It was just a horrible accident."

"But why wouldn't she look?" I bite my lip to stop the sob that's rising in my throat. "She always looks…."

"She was probably just distracted." Haley reaches for my hand. "With everything that was going on, I'd say that's pretty understandable. But it was nobody's fault, it just happened."

"I found one!" Eli emerges from his room, clinging to a picture frame tightly and I quickly compose myself before turning to look at him.

"That's great, pal." I plaster a smile on my face as I look down at him. "Haley's going get your shoes and coat on, OK? I'll be right back." I ruffle his hair and throw a glance in Haley's direction before heading down the hall and locking myself in the bathroom. I stare into the mirror for a long moment before taking a deep breath and splashing some water on my face. I have to calm down. I have to stay strong for Eli. He needs me now more than ever. I take a deep breath and slowly let it out before heading back to the living room. "Are you ready to go buddy?"

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

Lucas is already in Brooke's room when we arrive and he looks up in surprise when the three of us enter. His eyes flicker between Haley and me for a moment before he stands.

"I'll leave you guys alone." He gazes down at Eli for a long time before slowly leaving the room. I watch him walk away before glancing at Haley.

"Can you watch him?" I nod in Eli's direction.

"Of course." Haley nods quickly and I leave the room in search of my brother. I look down the hall and can see him waiting for an elevator.

"Hey Luke…" I call as I jog toward him and he slowly turns to look at me as I approach. "You don't have to leave."

"Nathan…" Lucas shakes his head slowly, his eyes are cloudy. He's just as worried about Brooke as I am, there's no doubt about that.

"Forget about it." I place a hand on his shoulder. "It's in the past. Brooke needs all of us right now. Besides, we're brothers man."

"I'm sorry Nate." Lucas shakes his head slowly. "I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you how sorry I am." He sighs and rubs his face warily.

"You were protecting Haley." I slap his shoulder again gently. "I get that. Come on." I nod toward Brooke's room. Luke hesitates for a second before nodding silently and the two of us head back down the hall. We turn the corner into Brooke's room.

"Please wake up soon mama." Eli says quietly. "Daddy says that you need to sleep to get better but I hope you wake up soon because I miss you." I glance at Haley and Luke before crossing the room to lift Eli into my arms. I place a kiss on his temple before leaning him down so he can kiss his mother's cheek. "I love you mama." I stand up again and smile at my son before kissing his forehead.

"We all miss you Brooke." I softly brush her bangs out of her eyes. "Come back to us soon." I squeeze her hand gently. Then as if by some kind of miracle I feel her fingers curl around mine. I stare at our entwined fingers in shock before I pull my eyes up to her face. She lets out a groggy groan as her eyes slowly flutter open.

"Eli….Nathan….."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

Brooke's been awake for almost an hour and I've barely had a chance to talk to her. I'm pacing near the door of her room, watching all of these people in white coats crowd around her bed. They all seem to be speaking at once. I know that I should be grateful she's awake and thankful that the doctors and nurses are doing their jobs so well, but if I'm being honest it's really starting to piss me off. I want to spend some time with her. I haven't even been able to hold her yet. They keep going on about making sure her memory is intact and I can tell from the look on her face that if they ask her who the president is one more time, she's going to flip out at any second. Finally they seem to be satisfied that she doesn't have any sort of brain damage and slowly file out of the room. Now it's just the two of us.

"Please stop looking at me like that." Her voice is more raspy than normal and my walls finally crack. I don't bother fighting the tears as I cross the room in two strides and gather her in my arms.

"Don't you ever do that to me again." I pull away to look down at her. "I just got you back, I can't lose you again." A soft smile finds her lips as she wipes the tears from my eyes.

"I know." She rests her forehead against mine for a moment. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"Good." My lips brush over hers softly. "Because I kind of love you and I'm not ready to let you go."

"Well, that's good, because I don't ever want you to let me go." She whispers as I settle on the bed next to her and she rests her head against my chest. My left arm wraps around her shoulders while my right hand automatically rests on her stomach. The baby! It hits me suddenly. Brooke doesn't know about the baby. She doesn't know that we're going to be parents again.

"Where is everyone? Where's Eli?" Brooke's voice pulls me out of thoughts and I look down at her slowly.

"Um, Karen came and took Eli to her place. There was so much going on, I didn't think he should be around it. She's going to bring him back later." I pause for a moment as Brooke nods. "And, um, I think Haley, Peyton…."

"Haley's here?" Brooke looks up at me in shock but I can see the hope in her eyes.

"Of course Haley's here." I kiss her temple softly. "She's barely left your side, Brooke."

"Really?" Tears fill her eyes and I pull her closer.

"Yeah, she's so happy that you're awake." I pause for another moment. "I think she's in the waiting room with Peyton and Lucas."

"So Luke's here too?" There's an underlying tone in her voice that I can't quite place.

"He's sorry. He's sorry for everything." I tell her slowly and Brooke is quiet as she nods. "Brooke, listen, there's something I need to tell you…" I whisper, all thoughts of my brother suddenly gone from my head. She looks up at me expectantly and I take a deep breath, reluctantly untangling myself from her. I miss the feel of her in my arms as soon as she's gone. "Brooke, right after your accident, the doctors told me something…"

"Nate, what's going on?" Brooke looks up at me, worry etched across her face. "Is something wrong? What didn't the doctor tell me? I thought I was fine. Am I not fine?"

"Honey, I promise you, you're fine." I kiss her gently and I can feel her calm a little. "I asked the doctor not to say anything because I wanted to be the one to tell you." I pause for a moment as I look at her and my heart starts to race. "Brooke, baby, you're pregnant. We're pregnant."

"What?" Brooke looks at me as though I've totally lost my mind. "What?" Tears fill her eyes as she looks at me.

"We're going to have another baby." I reach over and brush the tears from her face before placing my hand on her stomach. "Our baby is in here." I blink back my own tears as she rests her hand on top of mine and stares in shocked silence before raising her eyes to mine.

"We're having a baby?" Tears spill down her face as she covers her mouth to muffle a choked sob. "Nathan, oh my God, we're having a baby."


	14. Secrets

I'm pregnant. The words barely register in my brain as I stare at Nathan in complete and total shock. I can't believe I'm pregnant. I'm going to have another baby. I'm going to have another baby with Nathan. My gaze falls to our entwined hands resting on my stomach.

"And the baby's OK?" I look up at him hesitantly. What if something happened because of the accident. What if there's some sort of complication? What if…

"The baby's fine." Nathan voice is calm and reassuring and I breathe a sigh of relief. I don't know what I would have done is something was wrong. "The doctor said that everything looks normal and he's getting stronger and stronger every day."

"He?" I raise an eyebrow at him. His smile lights up his whole face and the sound of his laugh is like music to my ears.

"Well, I am a Scott you know, when was the last time we produced a girl?" It's his turn to raise an eyebrow and my turn to laugh.

"True." I concede, leaning back against his chest as his arms tighten around me. "But it doesn't matter. Boy, girl, it doesn't matter because the fact that this baby is still here proves how special he or she is." He turns my head and leans down to brush his lips over mine softly.

"I love you. You and our family are the most important things to me." He murmurs into my hair, pressing a kiss on my temple. "I missed out on so much with Eli. I don't want to miss anything with this baby. I'm going to be there for every appointment, every craving, every mood swing." I can't help but smile as I remember being pregnant with Eli and the vicious mood swings I experienced. This poor boy doesn't know what he's getting himself into. "I'm going to be holding your hand when our son or daughter is born. I'll do the 4 a.m. feedings and diaper changes and everything else and we are going to have the most amazing life together. We're going to have the life we should have always had." He rests his hand on my stomach again and tears fill my eyes as his words wash over me and the images he's describing flash through my mind.

"That's all I want, Nathan." I whisper through my tears and quickly wipe them away. "You and our kids; that's all I need." His lips brush across mine again and I can't help but sigh in contentment as I sink into his embrace. We stay that way for a long time before a quiet knock on the door pulls us back to reality.

"Can I come in?" I look up to find Haley standing in the door, a hesitant expression on her face.

"Of course." I nod immediately, tears springing to my eyes again as I hold my hand out to her. I can't believe she's actually here. Haley lets out a relieved sigh and rushes across the room as Nathan gets up, allowing her room to sit next to me on the bed. "Hales, I'm so sorry…"

"It doesn't matter." She cuts me off as she pulls me into a hug. "I'm just glad you're OK. I was so worried about you. Don't you ever do that me again." My eyes close and I cling to her tightly. "I love you Tigger." She pulls away to look at me, gently wiping away the tears that are in my eyes.

"Hales, I need you to understand…" I begin again but Haley shakes her head, stopping me again.

"I forgive you Brooke." Haley says and I stare at her dumbfounded. How can she possibly forgive me. I don't deserve her forgiveness. "When I found out that you were in the hospital, every became clear. You made a big mistake and you hurt me, but I know you didn't set out to do that and I know that you're sorry and I forgive you. I love you Tigger and life is too short for us to be fighting like this." Haley pauses for a moment, a smile spreading across her face. "Besides, we've got too much to be thankful for." She reaches for my hand and squeezes it tightly. "You're OK and this little baby inside of you is OK." She lays her hand on my stomach. My expression must have been one of shock because she quickly glances over at Nathan before looking back at me. "Nathan told me, I hope that's OK?"

"I just thought that you would have wanted her to know." Nathan speaks up and I look over at him.

"It's fine." I smile before looking back at Haley. He was right to tell her. She would have been the first person I would have wanted to tell anyway. "Hales, are you alright with this, I mean…"

"I'm fine with it Brooke." Haley says with a smile. "You two are meant for each other and anyone can see how much the two of you love each other."

"But what I did to you, Haley…" I shake my head as tears fill my eyes again. I don't deserve her forgiveness. I don't deserve her understanding. "He was your fiancé…."

"But he wasn't my soul mate, Brooke." Haley murmurs quietly, glancing at Nathan quickly before turning back to me. "He's your soul mate. What we had was wonderful and I wouldn't change a moment that I spent with him but I know now that it was never meant to be forever. What the two of you have, that's forever."

"I never wanted to hurt you Haley." I drop my head as tears overwhelm me again. "And I hate that my happiness has to come at your expense."

"I don't like to think of it as at my expense…" Haley shrugs a little. "I like to think of it as more so because of me. I like to think that maybe I'm the road that brought you two together."

"I don't deserve you, Haley James-Scott." I shake my head as I wipe the tears from my eyes and Haley looks at me with a smile.

"Maybe not, but you're kind of stuck with me Brooke Davis." She wraps her arms around me one more time and I hold on to her as tightly as I possibly can.

"Am I interrupting?" We pull apart at the sound of another voice and I freeze when I look up to find Lucas standing just inside the door. My whole body tenses just at the sight of him and Haley looks at me strangely for a moment before looking back at Luke.

"I'm glad you're OK Brooke." Luke walks slowly toward the bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine Thanks." I say slowly. I can't believe he's here. Why is he here? After what happened, does he really think that I would want to see him. "Is Peyton here?" I look over his shoulder, praying that my blonde friend will appear in the doorway.

"She's in the cafeteria I think." Luke says quietly and I make the mistake of looking up at him. His blue eyes are staring intensely into mine and I quickly look away. I don't want to see the relief in them. I don't want to see the circles around his eyes that make me think he hasn't slept in days. I can't look at him. Not after what he did. Not after the mess that he's made.

"Oh, I'll go get her." Haley jumps from the bed and it takes everything in me not to grab her hand and beg her not to go. "Hey, I'll be right back." She pats my hand when she sees the expression on my face and I nod silently as I watch her go.

"I'm going to go call Karen." Nathan speaks up and I look at him with wide eyes. Crap. He can't leave. I don't want to be left alone with Lucas! Crap! Crap! Crap! "I'll just be a minute." He leans over and brushes his lips across my temple. "Give him a chance, babe. He's sorry and he's trying." He whispers in my ear before disappearing into the hall and I'm left alone face to face with Lucas Scott.

"Brooke…" Lucas begins but I shut him up with one look.

"I don't want to hear it." I cross my arms over my chest tightly as I glare at him. "I don't want to hear a single thing from you Lucas Scott. I told you that I wanted nothing to do with you and I meant it."

"I know.." Lucas sighs a little as he slowly approaches the bed and sits in the chair next to it. Wow, this boy must have a death wish or something. "Brooke, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. When I saw that car hit you, it was the single worst moment of my life. You weren't moving and I was so scared that I had lost you…"

"I appreciate what you did for me, calling the ambulance and getting me to a hospital…" I pause for a moment to take a breath. "But I'm not yours to lose anymore."

"Brooke, please don't say that." Lucas reaches for my hand but I jerk away from him.

"Don't touch me." I send a death glare his way and Lucas lets out a quiet sigh.

"I meant what I said at the River Court." Lucas says in a whisper and I close my eyes with a sigh and let my head fall back on the pillows. "I still love you Brooke. Almost losing you made that even more clear to me. I don't want to be away from you anymore. We could make a life together. We could be happy." His voice sounds almost desperate and I sigh again as I open my eyes to look at him. Tears are swimming in his blue eyes and I can't stop the lurch in my heart. He may be an ass but it doesn't change the fact that he's still Luke. Once upon a time he was the most important person in my life and I don't like to see him pain. "Please, Pretty Girl, just think about it."

"I'm pregnant, Luke, with Nathan's child." My voice is a low and I run my fingers through my hair.

"I love you Brooke." Lucas says again. I open my mouth to speak but he keeps right on talking. "And I'm going to fight for you this time. I didn't fight for you last time, but I'm going to fight now."

"Lucas, please, just…" I blink back tears as I shake my head slowly.

"Brooke?" Peyton appears in the doorway and I jump a little in surprise. "Thank God you're OK." She practically pushes Luke out of the way as she throws her arms around me.

"I'm fine P. Sawyer, I promise." I pull away to look at her with a smile. I glance quickly at Lucas. "Ugh, Peyton, there's something I need to tell you." I pause for a moment and out of the corner of my eye I see Luke's eyes widen. "I'm pregnant. Nathan and I are having another baby." I blink back tears as I look at her and Peyton stares at me in silence for a moment.

"Oh my God, Brooke! That's fantastic…" She pauses for a moment. "I mean, this is good, right?"

"Yeah, it's good, P. Sawyer." I can't help but smile as she hugs me but my smile falters slightly when my eyes meet Lucas. I look away quickly and turn to Haley who is leaning against the doorframe watching in silence. "Come here Tutor Girl." I hold my hand out to her and she crosses the room to sit on the opposite side of the bed from Peyton. "I'm glad you guys are here. I love you both so much and I don't know what I would do without the two of you."

"We're here, B. Davis." Peyton brushes the hair from my eyes. "And we're not going anywhere, right Hales?" She glances at Haley, who nods immediately.

"That's right Tigger." Haley says with a smile and squeezes my hand tightly. Tears spill from eyes before I can stop them. I'm crying for so many reasons. I'm so happy that I have Haley back and that Nathan and I are having this baby but I'm terrified of what will happen if Peyton or Nathan find out about Lucas.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I look up to find Nathan smiling at me from the end of the bed and a smile automatically adorns my face.

"Brooke just told me about the baby." Peyton stands up with a smile as she approaches Nathan. "Congratulations!" I smile again as I watch the two of them hug but can't stop the uncomfortable feeling that washes over me when I glance at Lucas and find him watching me. I glare at him before looking back at Nathan.

"Did you get a hold of Karen? Is she bringing Eli" I ask, my mood brightening at the thought of my son.

"She's stuck at the café so I'm going to run over there and pick him up." Nathan moves to sit next to me, forcing Lucas from the chair next to the bed. I seem to be the only one who notices the slight scowl on his face as he stands and moves next to Peyton. "I won't be long."

"OK." I nod slowly. My heart swells a little. "I can't wait to see him. I miss him." I blink back tears.

"I'll be back soon." Nathan leans over and presses his lips against mine softly. "I love you." He whispers before standing and heading out of the room. I watch him leave before slowly glancing at Haley.

"Hales, I…" I begin but she stops with a raise of her hand.

"It's fine Tigger." She shakes her head with a smile. "I won't lie, it's a bit weird but it's also incredibly right and I think I speak for all of us when I say that it's pretty obvious that you and Nathan belong together." Haley smiles at me before glancing at Peyton and Lucas. "OK, we should you let you rest before Eli gets here." Haley stands and I'm about to protest when Peyton jumps in.

"She's right B. Davis. Eli's going to be so happy to see you but it's going to take a lot of you and you need to stay strong for that baby." She says with a smile as she leans down to hug me one more time. "I'm so happy you're awake."

"Thanks Peyton." I squeeze her hand tightly before she turns to Luke.

"Do you think that we could talk sometime? With everything that's been going on we haven't had a chance to and I really think we should." She asks slowly.

"Ugh…" Lucas throws a quick glance in my direction but I just give him a hard stare. "Sure, Peyton…"

"You guys should talk really soon. What about now?" I jump in and Lucas looks at me with a mixture of shock and hurt. "No time like the present right?" I plaster a smile on my face as I look at Peyton.

"Actually, I really need to get to the studio but what about tonight Luke?" Peyton asks slowly, almost hesitantly, and I sigh a little as I look at my friend. Since when did Peyton start tiptoeing around guys?

"Why don't you give me a call." Lucas says after a moment and Peyton nods, seemingly happy with that answer. She gives us all a quick wave before heading out the door. I glance at Haley before slowly looking at Lucas.

"Thank you for what you did, Luke." I say quietly. I do mean that. He saved my life. He saved my baby's life and I will forever be grateful for that but it doesn't change anything.

"Yeah, of course." Lucas' eyes soften as he looks at me and for a moment I feel like I've been transported back to high school. He's looking at me the same way he did back then. "I'm just glad that you're OK."

"I'm fine." I force a smile and look away, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. What the hell am I going to do? Why won't he get a clue? Why does he always freaking do this? Why does he always want what he can't have? I refuse to be sucked back into Lucas Scott's little web again. God my head is starting to hurt. Lucas stays where he is for a moment before throwing a glance in Haley's direction and letting out an almost inaudible sigh.

"I guess I should go too." Lucas' voice sounds strained and his eyes are cloudy as he looks at me. "I hope you're better soon Brooke." With that he's gone in an instant and it's finally just Haley and I alone in the room.

"Alright Tigger, I'm going to let you rest but I promise I'll be back soon." She stands up, reaching for her purse before turning back to look at me. "I'm so glad you're OK." She blinks back tears as she hugs me one more time. "I'll see you soon." She gives me a quick wink before starting toward the door.

"Hales, wait!" My voice shocks even me and for a second I wonder what the hell I'm doing. Haley turns to look at me, worry flashing across her face when she sees my expression and she immediately rushes back to me.

"Brooke, honey, what's wrong? Are you in pain?" Haley's voice is full of concern and I bite my lip nervously as I look at her. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing or not but I have to tell someone.

"Hales, I need to tell you something."

**A/N -Hope you enjoyed it! The next part should be up soon. Please review!!! And thanks to all of you for sticking with the story, I appreciate it! **


	15. Revealed

"Brooke, what is it? What's going on?" Haley's eyes are wide with concern as she brushes the hair from my eyes.

"I don't know how to say this, Hales…" I bite my lip nervously as I look at her.

"Tigger, you can tell me anything." Her voice his soothing and I relax a little, slowly taking a deep breath.

"It's about Luke." My voice is barely a whisper as I look at her.

"Oh, Brooke…" Haley wraps her arms around me for a moment before pulling away to look at me again. "I know he said some awful things to you but he knows he was wrong. He was just looking out for me and you didn't see him after the accident. He was so worried about you."

"You don't understand." I shake my head and stare at my hands. "Luke and I were arguing. I was so angry with him that I wasn't paying attention and I didn't look before I stepped off the sidewalk."

"Well no wonder he felt so horrible." I look up at Haley as she speaks. "Brooke, I promise you, this has been eating at him. It's obvious now that he's been blaming himself."

"No, Haley…" I sigh and shake my head again. "It's not that we were arguing. It's what we were arguing about." Tears fill my eyes and I quickly blink them away. "He, ugh, he…" I break off and swallow the sob in my throat.

"Brooke, whatever he said I know he's sorry. Just talk to him. If you and I could work it out, then I know you and Lucas can." Haley squeezes my hand reassuringly.

"Hales, he told me that he's still in love with me and then he kissed me." Haley's face drops as the words leave my mouth and she looks like the wind has been knocked out of her.

"He what?" She stares at me in confusion. "Brooke, what… what are you talking about?"

"I found him on the River Court and I was trying to reason with about Peyton and about me and Nathan and what we did to you and all of a sudden he said that you weren't the reason he was so mad at us." Tears fall from my eyes and I quickly wipe them away. "He said it was because he still loved me and seeing me with Nathan drove him crazy. Then he kissed me and I flipped out and I stormed away and that's when the accident happened." I break off as I bury my face in my hands. "I don't know what to do Hales. I can't tell Nathan. He'll lose it and I can't tell Peyton because it'll break her heart. So what am I supposed to do?"

"Shhh…." Haley whispers as she pulls me into another hug. "Brooke, don't cry. It's not good for you or the baby."

"Haley, what do I do?" I look up at her miserably. "You have to tell me what to do." She has to tell me what to do because I don't know. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. "Lucas won't back off. If he would just back off, I'd pretend that this whole thing never happened. But he won't let it go and now he's saying that he's going to fight for me and, god, if he says anything to Nathan or to Peyton…"

"Brooke, it's OK." Haley gives me a reassuring smile and I stare at her for a second, completely confused. "It's fine."

"Haley, how can you say that it's fine?" I can barely speak. What the hell? Is Haley taking his side? Wasn't she just saying the Nathan is my soul mate? If that's the case why the hell is it OK that Lucas is being a complete and total ass?

"Brooke, calm down." Haley reaches for my hand. "You can't get yourself worked up over this. You have to think about the baby." She pauses for a moment. "Honey, you don't have to do anything about Lucas, OK. You don't have to worry about him." She smiles again. "Because I'm going to kill him." She shrugs a little as if this is the most natural thing in the world and I can't help but laugh. Only Haley could make me laugh right now. "I'm serious Brooke." Haley's tone causes me to look at her. "I don't want you to think about this again. I'm going to set Lucas Scott straight once and for all. Because neither you or Peyton deserve this and I'm not going to let him hurt either one of anymore."

"Haley, you really don't have to do this…" I say slowly, glancing at my hands quickly before looking back at her. "I mean, this is my fight and I can handle it. I just needed to tell someone and…"

"I'm glad you told me Tigger." Haley hugs me again. "I'd have been pissed if you hadn't." She pulls away to look me to look me straight in the eyes. "But I am dead serious Brooke Davis. I don't want you to think about this anymore. I don't want any stress for you or this baby. I'm going to take care of it. Lucas Scott is going to have to deal with me."

"Lucas Scott is going to have to deal with you about what?" We jump and look to find Nathan standing in the door with Eli in his arms and a curious expression on his face.

"Mama!" Eli struggles out of his father's arms and tears spring to my eyes as I hold my arms out to him, all thoughts of Lucas gone. Eli breaks into a run and is about to throw himself onto the bed when Nathan catches him mid-air.

"Gentle Pal." Nathan murmurs. "Your mom's still getting better."

"Be quiet Nathan and give me my baby!" I reach up for him and don't even bother wiping the tears away as I pull Eli into my arms and hold him tightly against me. I don't know if it's possible but I think I love this little boy even more than I did before the accident. The mere thought of how close I was to missing him grow up makes my chest ache.

"I missed you Mama." Eli whispers into my shoulder and I tigthen my arms around him.

"I missed you too buddy." I press a kiss into his hair. "I missed you so much and I promise that I am never going anywhere again."

"Good." Eli's voice has a tone of finality to it and I can't stop the smile that's forming on my lips. I lift my eyes in search of Nathan and find him watching us with mixed expression.

"Come here." I hold my hand out to him and he's by my side in an instant. Gently sitting down next to me and wrapping his arms around the both of us. My eyes drift shut and for a moment my whole world is perfect. The two men I love most in the world are in my arms and right now nothing else matters.

"I'm going to give you guys some time alone." Haley's voice pulls me back to reality and I look up at her with worried eyes. I don't want her and Lucas fighting because of me. God, this is all so messed up. Why couldn't Lucas have just kept his mouth shut? If he had then we would all be friends again.

"Hales…" My voice comes out a little strangled and I can see Nathan looking at me with a curious expression.

"Brooke, it's OK." She smiles. "I'm going to take care of it, I promise." She squeezes my hand quickly before turning and heading out of the room. I stare at the door for a long time after she's gone, chewing on my lip nervously.

"Hey, what's going on?" Nathan's voice pulls me back to reality and I turn to find him watching me with concerned eyes. "What's all that about? What did Lucas do now?"

"Ugh…" I stare at him for a moment. "It's just the whole Peyton thing. Haley's going to tell him fix things with her." I hate lying to him but how can I tell him the truth? How can I tell him what really happened? I can't. I can't hurt him like that.

"Well, let's hope that Haley can talk some sense into him." Nathan smiles for a moment, seemingly content with the answer, before leaning over and brushing his lips across mine. "I'm just happy you're awake. I don't know what I would have done if…"

"Nathan I'm fine, I promise." I touch his cheek gently before turning to Eli who's sitting my lap staring at me with wide eyes. "Hey what are you thinking about buddy?"

"Don't go away again, OK mama?" His voice is barely above a whisper and I feel like I want to burst into tears. "I didn't like it when you were gone."

"I promise, I'm never going anywhere again." I plant a kiss on his forehead. "I'm staying right here with you and daddy forever, OK?" Eli looks at me for a moment before nodding silently and snuggling back into my arms. I hold him tight against my body and lean against Nathan as he wraps his around the two of us again.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Brooke, what are you doing? Stay put and let me help you!" Nathan rushes around the car and I can't help but smile as he helps me from the car.

"Nathan, I'm fine." I lean up to kiss him softly. "The doctor wouldn't have let me come home otherwise."

"Yeah, but I know you Brooke." Nathan sighs a little as he grabs my bag from the back seat and shuts the door. "You can't push yourself too hard."

"Honey, I'm fine." I touch his cheek with a small smile. "I promise, OK. I promise I won't overdo it." Nathan stares at me for a moment before finally nodding and wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading me into the house. He smiles at me over his shoulder as he opens the door and I roll my eyes before following him in.

"Surprise!" I jump a mile and gasp when I see the crowd of people in my living room.

"Damn it Nathan!" I slap his arm lightly when I finally calm down. "You know you could have given me a heads up."

"Well, that would have ruined the surprise." He smiles before leaning down and kissing me. "Welcome home, Brooke."

"Yeah, welcome home Mama!" I turn to find Eli staring up at me with a wide smile on his face.

"Thank you baby." I hug him tightly and turn to the group assembled. I hug Haley and Peyton tightly. I freeze a little when I see Lucas standing across the room. What is he doing here? Damn it. I do not want to deal with this right now. I wonder if Haley has talked to him? Maybe she has. Maybe he'll just keep his stupid mouth shut.

"OK, so before we get this party started there's something that I want to say." Nathan's voice brings me back to reality and I pull away from Karen to look at him. "As you all know, Brooke and I are going to have another baby." He wraps his arms around my shoulder, grinning widely. "And that is something that I couldn't be happier about." He turns to me, taking my hands in his and I can see tears shimmering in his eyes as he looks down at me. "Brooke, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You gave me a beautiful son and you're about to give me another son or daughter and I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone." He pauses for a moment and shoves his hand in his pocket. "I spent three years without you and I never want to spend another day away from you." My mouth drops in shock as he slowly kneels down on one knee in front of me with a small black box in his hand. "Brooke Davis, will you marry me?"

"Nathan… oh my God!" Tears spill from my eyes as I stare at him. "I…"

"Brooke, don't." I jump at the sound of his voice and Nathan and I turn to see Lucas walking toward us. No, no, no! What is he doing? He can't do this! Not here! Not now!

"Luke, man, what the hell are you doing?" Nathan stands to face his brother and I feel like I'm about to pass out.

"Are you going to tell him, Brooke, or should I?" Lucas reaches for me and I stare at him in complete confusion. Tell Nathan what? There's nothing for me to tell Nathan except that his brother is a complete ass! "Fine. I'll do it." He brushes his hand gently across my cheek and I flinch at his touch before he turns back to Nathan. "She can't marry you Nathan, because she's still in love with me." I gasp as the words leave his mouth and cringe when I see the look of disbelief on Nathan's face as he turns to look at me.

"What the hell Brooke?" His voice is cold as he glares at me.

"No, Nathan, I…." I stammer, tears filling my eyes. "Nathan, he's lying. I'm not… it's not… he…"

"I don't want to hear it!" Nathan shakes his head in disgust. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to leave Haley for you. Although, I don't know why I'm so surprised. You slept with your best friend's finance, nothing should shock me it comes to you."

"Nathan, I swear, I didn't…" I can't breathe. This can't be happening. This can not be happening.

"How do I know that baby's even mine?" I physically recoil at his words. He can't actually believe that. "I don't even care. We're done." He turns on his heal and storms out of the house.

"Nathan, wait!" I chase after him but he doesn't even glance in my direction as he gets in the car and speeds away from the house. "Nathan…" I collapse on the front step in tears.

"Brooke, honey…" I awake with a start and look around wildly. Where am I? What's going on? Slowly the hospital room comes into focus and I see Nathan standing over me, watching me with concern.

"Nathan." Tears spill from my eyes and I throw myself into his arms.

"Shh, honey, it's OK." He murmurs into my hair, rubbing my back gently. "You were just having a nightmare."

"Oh god, Nathan." I grip his shirt and cling to him as tightly as I possibly can. "Please don't ever leave me, Nathan. Promise me you'll never leave me."

"I promise." He whispers, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "Brooke, I'm not going anywhere. You never have to worry about that." He looks down at me with tender eyes and gently wipes the tears from my face. "Was that what you're dream was about? Me leaving?" I don't say anything as I press myself closer to him and he tightens his arms around me. "It was just a dream Brooke, I promise. There is nothing that could ever take me away from you. Nothing."

"I'm going hold you to that, Nathan." I whisper through my tears. "I'm going to hold you that."

**A/N - Tee Hee! I hope you guys don't totally hate me because of this chapter. LOL! I just really wanted to explore Brooke's fear about Nathan finding out. Anyway, let me know what you think! **


	16. You're My Family

**Nathan's POV**

"Brooke Davis, don't you even think about getting out this car." I put the car in park and turn to find Brooke already unbuckling her seatbelt. "Stay put, I'm going to come help you." I jump from the car and jog around to open the door for her, holding my hand to her with a smile. She gives me a funny look before reluctantly taking it.

"I really wish you wouldn't hover, Nathan." Brooke sighs a little as she stretches her back. "The doctor said I was perfectly fine. I'm not going to break. I'm not made of glass." I watch her for a moment before closing the door. Physically she may be fine but I know something's bothering her. I can read Brooke Davis like a book and something is going with her. She's just been… well, off for the last few days but she won't tell me what's wrong.

"I know you're not made of glass but you are carrying precious cargo, you know." I rest my hand on her still flat stomach. "So, why don't you just be quiet and let me hover, OK?" She looks up at me for a moment before her expression softens.

"I'm sorry." She shakes her head with a sigh as I wrap my arm around her and pull her close to me. "I know I've been weird lately, I just…" She trails off and a look flashes across her face but it's gone before I can analyze what it means.

"Hey, you're pregnant." I drop a kiss on her temple and smile down at her. "You're aloud to be hormonal. Come on, let's get you inside. Eli can't wait to see you."

"Nathan…" She pulls away from me suddenly, her eyes wide. "Please tell me there isn't a room full of people in there." She's practically hyperventilating. "Please, please tell me that you didn't organize a welcome home party for me." She's almost begging.

"Shh…" I pull her into my arms and rub her back soothingly. "I promise baby. I figured you wouldn't be up for it. The only people in there are Eli and Haley, I swear."

"OK, good." She breathes what sounds like a sigh of relief as she starts toward the house but I stay rooted where I am. Seriously, what is going on with her? This should be the happiest time of our lives. She and the baby are healthy, we're together, we have our whole lives ahead of us. But I can't shake the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. One minute she's fine, the next minute she looks like she's ready to jump out of her skin. I know that I should be more understanding. I know that she's been through one hell of an ordeal and she needs some time to get back to herself but I can't shake this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I've been blaming everything on the hormones but now I'm really starting to worry that there's something more serious going on. "You coming?" I look up to find her waiting for me at the bottom of the steps, a tiny smile adorning her face.

"Yeah, of course." I quickly catch up to her. Eli jumps from the couch the moment we enter the house with Haley close behind him.

"Mama!" Brooke scoops him into her arms, hugging him tightly. The worried part of me wants to tell her to be careful but I know better than to come between Brooke and Eli.

"I missed you buddy." Brooke grins at him as she sets him on his feet and kneels down to look at him. "Were you good for Haley?"

"Uh huh!" Eli nods vigorously, bringing a smile to Brooke's face. "We made you a present! I'll go get it!" Brooke looks happy and relaxed as she watches Eli head toward his room. She's still smiling when she stands up to look at Haley and the two women embrace tightly.

"Welcome home Tigger." Haley says. Brooke pulls away to look at her and says something that I can't quite make out. Haley's quiet for a second as she looks at her friend before nodding. "All taken care of, I promise."

"Thank you, Hales." Brooke throws her arms around Haley again and I can't help but wonder what the two of them are talking about.

"Of course." Haley brushes the hair from Brooke's face with a smile. "Where's the rest of your stuff?"

"Oh, it's still in the car." I snap back to reality suddenly as the two woman turn to look at me. "I'll be back."

"No, no!" Haley waves her hand at me. "You stay with Brooke. I can handle a couple of gift bags and balloons. Besides, Eli's going to want to show you the gift he made for Brooke." She squeezes Brooke's hand and gives me a smile before heading out the front door.

"Here Mama!" Eli comes running back into the room as I help Brooke slowly sit down on the couch. He skids to a stop in front of her, holding the piece of paper out. Brooke takes the homemade card and gently opens it, tears filling her eyes as she looks at it.

"Thank you baby!" She pulls him onto her lap and kisses his cheek softly. "I love it." I watch them for a moment before leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

"I'm going to help Haley. I'll be right back." I whisper and she looks up at me with a nod and a smile before turning back to Eli. Smiling, I turn and make my way out the front door. I'm about to turn the corner to the driveway when I realize that Haley is standing in next to the car talking to Lucas… well, actually, arguing with Lucas is a more accurate description.

"No, Lucas! I told you not come here! She doesn't want you here!" I can tell from Haley's tone that it's taking all of her self control not to start yelling. But why is she so upset? And why wouldn't Brooke want Lucas here? I mean, sure she didn't want a big party but she wouldn't mind if Lucas stopped by to welcome her home. I mean, we're all trying to move past the awkwardness.

"Haley, you need to stay out of this, OK. This is between me and Brooke." Luke's voice is strained and I have a feeling the two of the them are about to blow. I really need to stop whatever this is. Brooke doesn't need this stress.

"No! This is not between you and Brooke! This is between you and me now!" Haley finally snaps and I take a step towards them. That's it, time to break this up. "Because there is no you and Brooke! She's with Nathan! When are you going to get that through your head!" Her words stop me dead in my tracks. What the hell is she talking about?

"No, Haley…" Lucas shakes his head defiantly. "You weren't there. That day on the River Court…" The River Court? Is he talking about the day of Brooke's accident?

"I know exactly what happened that day because Brooke told me! So, I don't care how you think you feel! I don't care if you think you love her! She doesn't love you! She loves Nathan! Your _brother_, Nathan! She's in love with him and that is never going to change! So, it doesn't matter what you do or what you say or how many times you kiss her because she doesn't want you! She wants him! S_he... chose.... Nathan_! And if you loved her as much as you claim to, you'd respect that. You need to leave her alone." Haley glares at him and I stay rooted where I am. I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. I can't breathe. I can't think.

"Nathan, honey, what's taking so long?" I turn to find Brooke standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. Her smile falls as soon as she sees my expression. "Nate, what's wrong?" She slowly comes down the steps toward me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask as I stare at her in shock. Now it all makes sense. Her nightmares; how uncomfortable she was seeing Luke at the hospital; all of it. But, why didn't she tell me? I don't understand why she would keep this from me.

"Tell you…" She begins but freezes when she sees Haley and Lucas over my shoulder. "Oh My God…" She looks back at me with tears in her eyes. "Nathan, I…"

"Is it true?" I'm struggling to keep my voice level but it's not working. "Did he kiss you?" Brooke stares at me for a long moment before dropping her head and slowly nodding. "Son of a bitch!" My anger finally snaps and I spin around stalking toward Haley and Lucas. I can hear Brooke calling out to me but not even she can stop me from doing this. He has this coming and it's going to feel pretty damn good kicking his self righteous ass! "You bastard!" Lucas and Haley turn to me in surprise and I swing at Lucas. My fist connects with his jaw with a satisfying crack. "Who the hell do you think you are?" I punch him again, throwing my full weight behind this one.

"Nathan, stop!" I turn to see Brooke standing next to Haley, tears streaming down her face. She locks eyes with me, silently pleading for me to stop. The stress of this whole thing can't be good for her or the baby and my ass of a brother is not worth Brooke's health or our baby's. I stare at her for a long moment before looking back at Lucas and slowly standing up.

"Get up!" I practically spit at him as he slowly pulls himself to his feet and wiping the blood from his mouth on his sleeve.

"Nathan, I get why your upset…" He begins slowly and it takes everything in me not to punch him again. Brooke. I have to think about Brooke. She wouldn't want me to beat him to a pulp. I swear to God she is the only thing that's stopping me right now.

"You get why I'm upset?" My whole body is shaking with anger and I have to take a deep breath to calm myself down. "You're my brother. How could you do this to me?"

"I still love her Nathan. I think I always have." He glances at Brooke quickly and finally something inside of me snaps.

"Don't look at her." I practically snarl. "Don't you dare fucking look at her." He doesn't have any right to look at her. He doesn't even have the right to be near her as far as I'm concerned. Not after the shit he's pulled.

"Nathan, I'm sorry." Lucas shakes his head slowly.

"You're sorry? Wow, that just makes everything fine Lucas." Sarcasm drips from my voice. "What about the accident? Are you sorry about the accident? Are you sorry that you almost killed her and our child?" Anger surges through me again as the realization hits me. He's the reason she was so upset that day. He's the reason she wasn't paying attention to the traffic. He's the reason I almost lost her.

"You think I don't carry that around with me, Nathan?" Lucas shakes his head again and _I_ once again have to resist the urge to punch him. "When I saw her lying on the street, I can't even describe it…"

"She was lying in the middle of the street because of you!" My hands are shaking and I take a breath to try and calm myself. The more I think about it, the angrier it makes me; the angrier the sight of him makes me and I know that if Brooke wasn't standing behind me right now this conversation would be going a lot differently.

"You may not believe me but I am sorry." He sighs. "I wish it wasn't like this but the accident made me realize how much she means to me. I'm not going away, Nathan." I stare at him in disbelief. Could he be any more goddamn arrogant? How the hell did I not see this before? It really is taking everything in me not to beat him to a bloody pulp. "I'm not giving up on her this time. I'm going to fight for her."

"God, would you listen to yourself!" I shake my head in disgust. "You almost killed her! Something _you _did is the reason she almost died! I don't think that you really understand that. And now you're saying that you're going to fight for her _this time_. There is no "this time". You had your chance. You had your chance and you blew it! You chose Peyton and it's too god damn bad if you think you made the wrong choice! This isn't your life. This is my life. _She _is my life. She's the mother of _my _child, she's carrying _my _baby and she's going to be _my _wife." I pause and stare at him for a long time before slowly taking a breath and slowly letting it out. "You know what, you're not worth it. So, I guess you were right Lucas. We're not brothers; we're not even friends. We're nothing. Stay away from me and stay away from my family." I turn with out another word to find Brooke standing behind me, fear in her eyes. My expression softens when I see her and I gently tuck her hair behind her ear before taking her hand and leading her into the house without another glance in Luke's direction. I shut the door behind us and lean against it for a moment trying to calm my breathing.

"Nathan…" Brooke's voice is barely a whisper and I turn to find her watching me with concern. "I…"

"Where's Eli?" I ask glancing around the empty room. After everything, the last thing he needs is to witness another fight between me and Lucas.

"I asked Haley to take him in his room and put on a movie." She's says, biting her lip nervously. "Nathan, I…"

"You should have told me Brooke." My voice is quiet as I look at her. She looks so miserable and it tears at me. "You didn't have to deal with this alone." I whisper, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her to me.

"I wanted to tell you, Nathan, but I didn't know how." She whispers. "I didn't want to hurt you like that." She looks up at me slowly. "I didn't want to hurt Peyton. Me coming back has thrown everyone's life into chaos and I just…"

"Hey, this is not your fault." I kiss her forehead gently. "You didn't ruin our lives by coming home." I pull away to look at her. "Do you realize how lost all of us were without you here? Especially me. You brought me back to life, Brooke. I was going through the motions while you were gone and now I'm finally living again. You did that. I'm happier than I have ever been in my life and that's all because of you. So don't you dare let something that Lucas has done make you think that you don't belong here. Tree Hill is where you belong. It's your home. It's our home."

"He's your brother Nathan." Brooke shakes her head. "He's your family and I…"

"You're my family." I cut her off and she looks up at me and I gently wipe the tears from her face. "You and our kids, that's my family." I pause for a moment as I study her pretty face. "I meant what I said Brooke. You're the mother of my children. You're carrying my baby. _You _are my family and I'm hoping that you'll agree to be my wife." Brooke's face drops in shock as I slowly pull the small velvet box from my pocket and hold it out to her. This certainly isn't how I pictured and yet now it seems like the perfect moment.

"Nathan…" She lets out a small gasp as I take her hands in mine.

"I don't have some big romantic speech planned, all I know is that I love you. I've loved you when we were 7 and we got married in my parents' backyard and I have loved you every day since, whether I could admit it or not. I can't picture my life without you. I don't _want _to picture my life without you. I love you more than I ever thought was possible. Marry me, Brooke." I slowly open the tiny box in my hand and she stares at the ring for a long time before looking up at me with tears in her eyes.

"Nathan, I don't know what to say to this?" Her voice is barely a whisper as she looks up at me, the tears in her eyes threatening to fall at any second.

"Say yes." I take her face in my hands and search her eyes for any sign of doubt. All I see is love as she leans up and presses her lips to mine.

"Yes." She whispers against my mouth before pulling away to look at me. She lets out a little gasp as I place the ring on her finger before she throws her arms around my neck. "Of course yes!"

**A/N - OK, so here it is! Sorry it took me so long to update but I really wanted to get the Nathan/Lucas confrontation just right! I hope you all like it! Of course, I own nothing. Please review! I can't wait to here your thoughts! XOXO**


	17. Oh My God!

I wake the next morning to the sound of someone banging loudly on the front door. Groaning, I shove my head under the pillow, trying to block out the noise.

"Nathan… what the hell is going on?" I pull the pillow off my face at the sound of Brooke's raspy voice.

"Someone's at the door." I can't help but smile at the look of confusion on her face.

"Well, answer it before they wake up Eli." She murmurs, settling back into her pillow and shutting her eyes again. I stare at her for a moment. "You're really not going to make your pregnant fiancé answer the door, are you? It's hard for me get around these days." She mutters and I glance down at her stomach, which is still basically completely flat. I shake my head with a smile before climbing out of bed and pulling a T-shirt over my head as I make my way to the front door. The banging becoming increasingly more annoying with every step.

"Jesus Christ! This better be good!" I swing the door open and freeze. I have to admit this is the last thing I was expecting at 6:00 on a Saturday morning.

"Well, look at you Scott. Making yourself at home, are you?" I stare in shock as I'm brushed passed and suddenly I feel like I'm back in high school again. "Where is she?" I'm silent for a moment. "Wow, have you gotten dumber since high school?" Cue the eye roll. "Brooke!"

"Would you keep your voice down please!" I frown, throwing a glance toward Eli's room. The last thing we need is for him to wake up to a crazy person in our living room.

"Oh please!" Another eye roll, this time paired with a scoff. "Just because you've wormed your way back into her bed, doesn't mean that you'll ever replace me. I'm going to ask again, where is she?"

"Nathan, what the hell is taking so long? Who is at the door?" We turn to see Brooke padding her way into the living room, pulling her robe closed. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees us. "Oh… My… God…" Brooke clasps her hand over her mouth in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know… I guess I missed you Slut!" The red head standing next to me shrugs a little and Brooke lets out what can only be described as a squeal as she rushes across the room.

"Rachel! I can't believe you're here!" She throws her arms around her the taller girl. "Seriously, what the hell are you doing here?"

"The question isn't what am I doing here." Rachel drops her bags and turns to both of us, hands on her hips. "The question is, why did I receive a call from Haley James-Scott of all people telling me to get my butt back to Tree Hill? Hmm?" Rachel eyes Brooke, who kind of shrinks into my side. "I'm not mad, Davis, but I wish you had called me. Haley filled me in and I kind of want to find Lucas and kick his ass."

"Oh Nathan already did that." Brooke shrugs with a smile and Rachel laughs. I, on the other hand, am still completely bewildered that Rachel Gatina is standing in my living room. I didn't even know that she and Brooke were still friends. And how the hell did Haley get her number?

"How you doing there Hot Shot?" Rachel eyes me with a smirk. "You look a little confused. You gonna be alright?"

"Well, I just wasn't expecting you." I say finally. "I didn't realize that you and Brooke still spoke."

"Still spoke?" Rachel lets out a laugh. "Oh, you have so much to catch up on Boy Toy and I promise, we'll get to that but first I want to see my favourite man in the whole world."

"He's sleeping but I'll wake him. He'll kill me if he finds out I didn't wake him the second you got here." Brooke throws her arms around Rachel one more time. "I'm so glad you're here." She grins before heading toward Eli's room. "Eli…" She slowly opens the door, disappearing inside. She appears a few seconds later with our very sleepy son in her arms. "Look who's here baby?" Eli slowly lifts his head off Brooke's shoulders and his eyes widen when he sees Rachel.

"Aunt Rae!" He struggles from Brooke's arms and takes off running at full speed into Rachel's arms.

"Look at you! You've gotten so big! It's only been a few months and I hardly recognize you!" Rachel tickled his sides and Eli let out a huge laugh as I continue to stare in complete shocked silence.

"Why don't we go make some coffee." Brooke's hand on my arm snaps me back to reality and I turn to find her staring up at me.

"Sure." I nod slowly.

"We'll just be in the kitchen." Brooke says to Rachel, who waves her away with one hand.

"Take your time. Me and Big El here got a lot of catching up to do, don't we buddy?" Rachel smiles down at my son.

"Yeah, Mama, take your time." Eli mimics Rachel's one handed wave and I can't help but smile a little. It's pretty obvious that he adores the former cheerleader.

"Sit down!" I order as soon as we're in the kitchen. Brooke freezes half way to the coffee maker and turns to look back at me. "I'm serious, Brooke. There's no need for you to be one your feet unless absolutely necessary. Sit!" I point to the table and she sends me a slight scowl before sitting down. "Now, care to tell me how the hell Rachel Gatina ended up on your doorstep this beautiful Saturday morning?"

"I guess Haley called her." Brooke shrugs and I send her a look over my shoulder as I scoop coffee into the filter. "Haley must have gotten her number from my cell phone or something." Brooke says finally as I pour the water into the machine and flick the start button.

"OK, but how did I not know that you and Rachel were still friends?" I slowly turn to look at her, leaning against the counter.

"I don't know." Brooke shrugs again. "It just didn't come up. Truthfully, I haven't talked to Rachel much since I moved home and I feel awful about that but everything was just so crazy that I just didn't get the chance to call her. I didn't realize how much I missed her until I saw her standing in my living room." She looks up at me with a smile. "Rachel kept me sane while I was living in New York. She's Eli's godmother, Nate. She was there the day he was born and she was there every day after. He loves her so much and, well, you can see that she loves him too." I have to agree with her there. It's pretty obvious how much Rachel loves our son. "You don't mind that she's here, do you?"

"No, of course not." I brush my lips across hers. "It'll be nice to catch up with her and maybe she'll be able to make you take it easy." She gives me grin and I can't help but drop my head to kiss her again.

"Alright, stop with the mushy. There are children in the room." Rachel's voice pulls us apart and we look to find her standing in the door with Eli resting comfortably on her hip. "Are they like this all the time?" She asks Eli in a loud whisper and he grins before nodding his head vigorously. "Well, you better tell them to quit it or daddy's going to have to stay elsewhere while Aunt Rachel is in town." My face drops in surprise and Rachel sees it before I can correct myself. "Oh cool your jets! Of course I know. Do you really think Brooke would have kept something like that from me? Please." She drops a kiss on Eli's head as she places him in his seat. "It wasn't really that big of a shock, Nate. I mean, you two are opposite sides of the same coin. It was only a matter of time. Everyone knew that, even Haley apparently. I guess the only person who couldn't get it was your fu…." She stops mid-sentence and throws a look in Eli's direction. "Your stupid brother."

"Mama says it's not nice to call people stupid Aunt Rae." Eli looks up from his cereal and Rachel is quiet for a moment as she smiles down at him.

"Well, your Mama's right. It's not nice to call people stupid…" She kneels down to look at him. "Unless they're actually stupid and you're Uncle Lucas is very, very stupid!"

"Rachel!" Brooke gasps.

"What?" Rachel stands to face her with a smirk on her face. "Am I wrong?" Brooke says nothing and we all take that to mean one thing. Hell, even I can't disagree with her. My brother is very, very stupid.

"So, how long are you staying?" I ask as I place some toast in front of Eli, kissing the top of his head. Rachel watches me for a second.

"You're really good with him Nate." She says with a smile. "I always told Brooke you would be." She throws a glance in Brooke's direction before looking back at me. "To answer your question, I'm not sure. Depends on how long this one needs me…" She nods her head in Brooke's direction.

"This one has a name!" Brooke huffs, folding her arms over her chest.

"Psh…" Rachel rolls her eyes. "Eli, tell your Mama to loosen up." She ruffles Eli's hair.

"Mama loosen up!" Eli says without looking up from his breakfast.

"You're a bad influence on him, Rachel." Brooke shakes her head with a smile.

"He loves me. Don't you El?" Rachel kisses the top of his head.

"I love you, Aunt Rae!" He looks up at her with a toothy grin.

"See!" Rachel stands up with a smirk on her face and Brooke simply shakes her head with a laugh.

"You're lucky that I love you Gatina!" Brooke starts to stand and I immediately move to her side, gently grasping her arm. "Honey, I'm fine. I promise." She looks up at me, smiling. "I'm just getting some tea."

"I'll get it." I whisper, pressing a kiss into her temple. "Sit down. Talk to Rachel. I'll get it."

"Are you going to be like this for the next 8 months?" Brooke shakes her head. "You're going to drive me crazy, you know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, well, you're just going to have to deal, OK?" I brush my lips across hers for a second. "Now sit." I turn and head to the stove to put the kettle on.

"OK, what's going on with you two?" Rachel folds her arms across her chest looking from Brooke to me and back again. "Why are you treating her like she's about to croak or something?"

"Haley didn't tell you?" Brooke asks, shooting me look before looking back at Rachel.

"All Haley told me was that you and Nathan got back together and Lucas was being…" She glances in Eli's direction. "Stupid."

"Um…" Brooke looks at me before glancing at Eli.

"Hey, buddy, do you want to watch your cartoons?" I place the kettle on the stove and turn to my son.

"Yeah! Can I watch Transformers?" He practically jumps from his seat. "Aunt Rae, will you come watch Transformers with me?"

"Um, I'm going to talk to your Mama and Daddy for a few minutes and then I'll come watch, OK?" Rachel smiles as I lift Eli out of his chair and settle him in my arms.

"OK." Eli agrees with a smile. Rachel leans in to kiss his cheek and I head into Eli's room to set him up with his cartoons. I return to the kitchen to see Rachel and Brooke sitting across from each other at the table.

"So, where are we?" I ask as I make Brooke's tea and place it on the table in front of her before taking a seat. "What have you told her?"

"Nothing." Brooke shakes her head with a smile. "I wanted to wait for you." She reaches for my hand. "There's more to the story than what Haley told you."

"Oh God, what else did he do?" Rachel cringes a little.

"No, it's nothing to do with Lucas." Brooke takes a deep breath. "Nathan and I are getting married."

"You're getting married?" Rachel's jaw drops in shock. "Oh my god! You don't waste any time do you Boy Toy?" Her face slowly breaks into a smile. "Guys, that's fantastic!" She begins to stand but I stop her with the raise of a hand.

"There's more Rach." I say slowly.

"More?" She sits back down, eying us suspiciously. "What more could there be? You better not have eloped to Vegas, because if you got married without me ho…"

"We didn't married, Rach. I promise." Brooke laughs a little. "There's no way I'd get married without you there." Rachel eyes her for a moment before nodding to continue. "Ugh… I… ugh… I'm pregnant. We're going to have another baby. That's why he's treating me like I'm made of glass." She shoots a look in my direction.

"You're pregnant?!" Rachel's mouth drops in shock as she stares at us. "Wow! Nothing like dropping everything on me at once!" She stares at us for a second before jumping to her feet. "Well, give me a hug! This is amazing. Congratulations on both!" She motions me to her and throws her arm around my neck as soon as I stand up. I can't help but laugh as I hug her back. "I'm glad you two worked it out, Nate." She whispers. "She was miserable without you."

"Thank you for being there for her when I couldn't be." I pull away and look down at her. She looks up at me for a moment before smiling and turning to Brooke.

"Congratulations Skank!" Rachel hugs my tiny brunette fiancé tightly with a laugh. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks bitch!" Brooke hugs her back just a tightly. "I'm really glad that you're here."

"Me too!" They pull away and look at each other for a second before the doorbell ruins the moment. "It's 7:00. Who the hell is at your door this early?"

"Rachel, you showed up at our door at 6:00." I throw her a playful look.

"Well, I'm allowed!" Rachel smirks and I roll my eyes before kissing Brooke's cheek and heading toward the front door. I let out a sigh when I open the door and find Peyton staring at me.

"What the hell, Nate?" She looks like she's about to cry and I stare at her in confusion for a second. "Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about!" She pushes past me and into the living room. "Why did you attack him?" Attack him? Attack who? Lucas? Is she serious? "Don't play dumb Nathan. Lucas has a black eye and a fat lip. And he's saying that…. He said that he came over to talk to you and Brooke and try to work things out and you just attacked him. So, would somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"Is that what he told you?" I stare at her in disbelief. Lucas really has sunk to a new low. "Peyton, I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this, but that is not what happened. Lucas lied to you."

**A/N - Yah! Rachel! I hope you guys are as happy as I am that she's in the story! I love her so I had to put her in. Plus, I think it's fitting that she's the one Brooke would go to. Anyway, I know this is kind of a filler I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review! **


	18. Why?

I wonder who's at the door." I glance at Rachel as I sip my tea. "God, I hope it's not Lucas. Nathan would never admit it but I know it's killing him to be fighting with Luke like this." I sigh a little and shake my head. "I know Luke's a lot of things but he does love Nate. I'm sure of that and I hate that I've come between them."

"OK, Stop… Listen Davis…" Rachel holds up her hand to stop me. "I understand you being concerned about Nathan. I'd be shocked if you weren't. But Lucas?" She shakes her head as a scowl finds her face. "He doesn't deserve your concern, sympathy or anything else!" I open my mouth to speak but she shuts me up with a look. "And as for you coming between them. You didn't come between them; Lucas came between them. Lucas completely disregarded his brother when he pulled this crap. This is all on him."

"I guess." I sigh again and glance at the door, wondering where Nathan is. "Come on, I'm going to see what's going on." I slowly stand and make my towards the living room with Rachel close behind me. I freeze when I see Nathan and Peyton facing each other just inside the front door. Peyton looks like she's about to cry and I cringe. Obviously she's talked to Lucas.

"Lucas lied to you." Nathan says slowly and my eyes widen. What the hell is going on?

"He lied to me?" Peyton stares at Nathan, confused. "What? Why would he lie to me? That doesn't make sense, Nathan."

"Ask yourself it makes sense that I would just randomly attack Lucas for no reason." My jaw drops at Nathan's words and I look at Rachel, who's watching with a similar expression.

"Then what happened?" Peyton asks slowly, almost like she's afraid to hear the answer.

"Peyton, I don't know how to tell you this…" Nathan trails off and I take a deep breath before crossing the room to stand next him. This should come from me. Actually, it should come from Lucas but we all know that's not going to happen.

"Lucas caused my accident, P. Sawyer." I say finally, slipping my hand into Nathan's. "We were arguing and I stormed away and that's when I got hit."

"That's why you beat him up.?" Peyton throws a glare at Nathan. "Jesus, Nathan, you know he didn't mean to hurt Brooke. He was upset about Haley and he lashed out. But you saw how distraught he was while she was in the hospital. He's trying to make things right."

"He's not trying to make things right, P. Sawyer." I take a deep breath and glance at Nathan, who squeezes my hand reassuringly. "Peyton, he kissed me." I wince as her face drops. "Right before the accident, he told me was still in love with me and he kissed me." I drop my eyes to the floor for a moment. I can't stand to see the hurt in her eyes. "That's why I was so angry. He told me again in the hospital after I woke up and he showed up here last night. That's when Nathan found out and that's when they got in the fight."

"I don't believe you." Peyton shakes her head slowly, tears filling her eyes. "He wouldn't do that. Luke loves me. We may be going through a rough patch right now but he loves me…" She trails off, shaking her head again.

"Peyton, why would I make this up?" I stare at her pained. I understand where she's coming from. No one wants to believe something like this about the person they love.

"I don't know Brooke!" Peyton suddenly snaps at me and I jump a little at her tone. "Why do you do anything? Why did you sleep with Haley's fiancé? Why did you break up her marriage? Maybe you just can't stand it unless everyone is love with Brooke Davis!" I'm shocked into silence. I can't even respond. I don't know how I expected Peyton to react but it wasn't like this.

"Now hold on Peyton…" Nathan begins in a warning tone. "Don't blame this on Brooke! This isn't her fault! This is Lucas' fault! And if you're going to throw Haley in her face, then you throw it in mine too!" Nathan's eyes are blazing and I gently place my hand on his arm.

"Nathan, don't…" I begin slowly but am cut off by a blur of red and suddenly Rachel is standing between us and Peyton, ready for a fight.

"Back up Goldilocks!" Rachel glares and I watch my friend in silence. She's in full on pissed off mode now and if I'm being honest, Peyton doesn't stand a chance. "Don't you dare blame this on Brooke because Nathan is right! All of this is happening because of your asshole boyfriend! And if you're planning on standing here and blaming Brooke for something that asshole did, you can haul your fake blonde ass right back out that door because I'm not having it."

"Rachel?" Peyton says in complete shock and I have to stifle a laugh. It's so not appropriate to laugh right now but the look on Peyton's face is priceless. "I…" She looks from Rachel to Nathan to me and back again. "I'm sorry Brooke." Her voice is barely a whisper as she drops her head and the tears she has been fighting finally win.

"Shhh." I gently push past Rachel and wrap my arms around her. "It's OK, P. Sawyer."

"No, it's not OK." Peyton pulls away, shaking her head miserably. "I had no right to say those things to you. It's just…"

"It's easier to blame me than admit the truth?" I whisper and she nods silently. "It's OK." I brush the tears from her face and lead her into the living room. "Sit down." I order gently and she follows my instructions silently. "Nathan, can you get her some water or something?" I look up at him and he hesitates for a second before nodding.

"Sure." He brushes his lips across my temple and my eyes fall closed for a second as a rush of warmth surges through me. This is just one more reason to thank God for Nathan Scott because I am 100% sure that Nathan will never be the cause of my tears the way Lucas is the cause of Peyton's. I watch him leave the room and glance at Rachel, who hasn't moved from her spot by the door, arms crossed tightly over her chest. I give her a dirty look and she rolls her eyes at me before crossing the room to stand next to me. I can't really blame, she's never hidden her dislike for Peyton.

"Why would he do this, Brooke?" Peyton looks up at me and my heart breaks at her expression. "What did I do wrong? Why wasn't I good enough?"

"This has absolutely nothing to do with you Peyton." I tell her firmly as I sit down next to her and put my arm around her shoulder. "This is just Lucas being Lucas. He's selfish."

"That's easy for you to say." Peyton scoffs a little in my direction and I frown for a second before Nathan comes in with a glass of water for her.

"Nathan, will you please tell Peyton that Lucas is an ass and she should be doing a happy dance that she's rid of him." Maybe he can knock some sense into her. He sets the water down on the table and sits on the other side of our blonde friend.

"Peyton, we've known each other a long time, right? And you know that I wouldn't lie to you, right?" Nathan's voice is low and Peyton nods silently without looking at him. "Then believe me when I tell you that he doesn't deserve you."

"Yeah?" She finally looks at him. "Well, how come it feels like I'm the one who's not good enough?"

"That's it!" Rachel lets out a frustrated sigh. "Jesus, would you listen to yourself, Sawyer! Why wasn't I good enough? Blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine."

"Rachel…" I send her a death glare, hoping that she will telepathically hear me telling her to shut the hell up!

"No, Brooke! She needs to hear this!" Rachel throws me a quick glance before turning back to poor Peyton, who looks like she's about to crack at any second. I look at Nathan to find him watching with worried eyes. At least I'm not the only one who's questioning Rachel's tough love routine. "OK, listen up, Blondie!" Rachel says and Peyton reluctantly looks up at her. "You and I have never really been friends and that's mostly because I don't really like you." I open my mouth to tell her to shut up but Rachel stops me with just a raise of her hand without even so much as glancing at me. "I'm not Brooke or Nathan or Haley. I'm not going to sugar coat it. I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear just to make you feel better. I'm going to tell it like it is." I have to admit, she does have a point. Rachel is nothing else if not brutally honest. "Why would you even give a shit about Lucas Scott? " Peyton's head shoots up and she looks like she's about to say something but Rachel keeps right on going. "Think about it Peyton! He kissed her!" She points at me. "He kissed your friend! He didn't kiss some random girl! He kissed Brooke! He didn't think about you or Nathan once while he chased _his brother's_ _girlfriend_ all over Tree Hill! Why would you want to be with someone like that?" Rachel pauses for a moment and her expression softens a little. "You're too good for him, Peyton." My eyes widen in surprise. Who knew Rachel could be so… nice? "This guy has been jerking you around for years. You're his soul mate one day; Brooke's the love of his life the next. It's bullshit! You're better off without him."

"You're right." Peyton nods her head slowly. "I know you're right Rachael, it's just I've put so much into this relationship and I thought I knew him… I thought I knew him better than I knew anyone…"

"Hey, we all thought we knew him P. Sawyer." I whisper, wrapping my arm around her shoulders again. "None of us ever thought that Lucas could do this." Peyton nods and excuses herself to use the washroom. The three of us watch her disappear down the hall and I wait until I hear the bathroom door shut before I turn to Rachel. "Thank you."

"Please, I was just sick of all of her whining." Rachel shrugs and I smile before pulling her into a hug.

"You can pretend you're a cold hearted bitch with a lot of people, but not me." She makes a face as I speak and I laugh. "Rachel, I think you were more excited than I was when Eli said his first word and you practically cried when he took his first step."

"Well, those were milestones in his young life and apparently his own mother is going to make light of them." Rachel crosses her arms in a huff.

"Come on, Rach, just admit that you're a big old softy at heart." I grin again as she scowls at me. In all the years I've know Rachel Gatina, it still amazes me how she acts like she's tough as nails. I mean, she is to some degree but she also has one of biggest hearts I've ever seen.

"Alright fine!" She finally concedes with a sigh. "Maybe I have a soft spot for your son but not goldilocks in there. That actually had more to do with my disgust for your brother." She glances at Nathan. "I may not like her, but even Peyton Sawyer shouldn't be crying over him." She says with an air of finality. I look at Nathan and frown at the pain I see flash behind his blue eyes. I know this has to be harder on him than he's willing to admit and definitely harder on him than it is on me. I mean, yes, Peyton's my friend and it sucks that she's hurting but this is his brother. His brother betrayed him and now matter how badly I want to take that pain away I can't. I throw a glance in Rachel's direction and she immediately understands, excusing herself and heading into Eli's room.

"I love you, you know." I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head against chest when we're alone.

"I know." He murmurs into my hair before pressing a kiss onto my forehead. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry for all of this." I look up at him as he slides his arms around me. "I'm sorry that all of this happened."

"How many times do I have to say this? This isn't your fault." Nathan shakes his head and gently brushes the hair from my face. "Brooke, Lucas did this. Lucas was selfish and didn't think about anyone but himself." He gently lifts my chin and his eyes are gentle as he lowers his head to capture my lips. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me." He whispers as he pulls me flush against him. "You and Eli and this baby." He kisses me again and I sigh contentedly as I sink into him. "I made it through 16 years without Lucas and I was perfectly fine. I barely got through three years without you. There's no contest Brooke."

"How did I get so lucky?" I smile up at him before moving back into his embrace and his tightens his arms around me.

"I'm the lucky one." He murmurs into my hair before looking down at me. "How are you feeling?" He gently places his hand on my stomach and looks at me with worried eyes. "I don't like you being around all of this tension. It's not good for you."

"I'm OK." I lay my hand on his and smile up at him. "I promise." I pause for a second as I look at him. "I just want you to know that even with everything that's going on and everything that has happened, I've never been happier than I am right now with you."

"You have made me happier than I've been in years Brooke." Nathan brushes his hand across my cheek and my eyes flutter closed. I can't help but wonder if these feelings will last. Will I always get butterflies at the mere thought of him? Will my pulse always race at his touch? God, I hope so because I never want this feeling to go away. "All that matters right now is that you and the baby are OK, Eli is healthy and happy and for some crazy reason you've agreed to be my wife…"

"You guys are getting married?" We jump at the sound of Peyton's voice and turn to see her standing a few feet away. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It just didn't seem like the right time…" I say after a moment, shrugging a little. I really didn't want to rub that in Peyton's face when she's dealing with all of this.

"Well let me see the ring?" She crosses the room quickly, grabbing my left hand. "It's beautiful Brooke." She gives me a small smile before glancing at Nathan. "Good choice." She turns back to me and pulls me into a light hug. "Congratulations." She hugs Nathan next. "So, when did this happen?" She asks. She's trying to sound enthusiastic but she's failing miserably. I hesitate for a second and look up at Nathan. "Last night…" She answers her own question and I can tell from her tone that she's put two and two together. She looks at Nathan. "You don't have to answer, it's OK, I get it." She keeps talking before we have the chance to respond. "I'm sorry…" Peyton looks away as she blinks back tears. "I don't want to ruin this for you guys."

"Peyton, I…." I trail off because the truth is I'm at a loss for words. I wish I knew what to say to make this better for her.

"Well, you guys should celebrate…" She says quickly. I open my mouth to respond but she keeps right on talking. "Have you told Eli, yet?" She asks and I slowly shake my head. "Well, you should tell him. He doesn't know about the ba…baby yet, does he?" she falters for a second. "Well, you need to tell him soon. He's going to be so happy."

"Peyton…" I reach for her but she shakes her head with a tight smile. She's trying to be happy for us, and I love her for that, but I know her well enough to know that this is hurting her. How could it not? I'm getting everything I've ever wanted in my life on the same day that she's losing the most part of hers.

"I'm going to go. I'm sorry about earlier." She whispers as she hugs me quickly. She pulls away and takes a deep breath. "Tell Rachel… well tell her I said welcome home and thank you." She pauses for a second as she looks at me. "I am happy for you, Brooke, you know that right?" She asks and I nod silently. Anything I say right now will probably just make her feel worse. "OK, good." She looks up at Nathan. "You be good to her, Nathan Scott, or you're going to have to deal with me."

"Not a problem Sawyer." Nathan says with a nod and smile.

"OK." She nods again. "Bye." Before I can say anything else, she's out the door and I watch sadly as she closes the door behind her.

"I really hate Lucas right now." My voice is barely a whisper as Nathan wraps his arms around me again and I lean against him gratefully.

"I know." He murmurs, kissing the top of my head. "I'll never do that to you, you know that right?" He looks down at me, suddenly serious.

"Do what?" I look up at him, confused. "Try and get with my friend? Well, you've already slept with most of them." I try to joke but he just looks at me and my eyes soften as I reach up to touch his cheek. "I know you would never do this, Nathan." I say seriously.

"It's just… the way we started… I…." Nathan stumbles over his words a little. "I know I cheated on Haley but I would never to do that to you."

"I trust you." I whisper. "I know how we got together, Nathan, and I'm not proud of the way it happened…." I pause for a moment before leaning up and kissing his lips softly. "But I wouldn't change the outcome for anything."

**A/N - Alright, so here's the new chapter! Sorry it took me so long to update! I haven't been feeling all that inspired lately, but I think I'm back in the groove! Anyway, hope you all like it. I own nothing (except the adorable Eli) Please review! :)**

**XOXO**


	19. Tric

**A/N - Hey Guys! Here's the next chapter! I'm not completely sold on it but hopefully you guys will like it. This is from Nathan's POV. Please review! **

**XOXO**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Guys, I am so sorry. I knew Luke was capable of a lot of things but I never thought he would do this." Haley shakes her head once we finish telling her the story later that evening. She leans back in her chair with and looks around Karen's Café before taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "Have you talked to Peyton since?" She asks with worried eyes.

"No, I've been trying her cell phone all day but she hasn't picked up." Brooke's voice is tense with worry and I gently rub circles on her back, trying to calm her down. I realize that I'm probably being a little overprotective and paranoid but I can't help it. I almost lost her and the baby once, I'm not taking any chances this time.

"I'm sure, she's fine Tigger." Haley reaches across the table and squeezes Brooke's hand. "You can't let yourself get too stressed out. It's not good for the baby."

"You sound like Nathan." Brooke rolls her eyes. "I promise that I'm fine, I'll just be better once we find Peyton."

"You can't find Peyton?" The three of us look up to find Karen standing over us with a smile on her face.

"Um….well…." Brooke looks at me, her eyes wide.

"You have to tell her." Haley pipes up and I look at her in shock.

"Tell me what?" Karen slowly sits down next to Haley and looks at us with concern. Great, thanks a lot Haley. Nothing like throwing us under the bus. I don't want to tell Karen this. I don't want to be the one who informs her that the son she loves more than anything is the biggest ass hat I've ever met. "Nathan? Brooke? What's wrong? Brooke, honey, are you OK? Has there been some sort of complications because of the accident?"

"No, no!" Brooke shakes her head quickly and relief spreads across Karen's face. "Um…" She glances at me and I shrug helplessly. I have no idea how to break this to Karen. "Well, there's um… there's good news and not so good news…" Brooke says finally, reaching for my hand under the table and entwining our fingers tightly. "The good news is that Nathan proposed to me last night. We're getting married." She holds up her left hand and Karen gasps.

"Oh my Lord!" She stares at the ring for a moment before looking up at the two of us with a smile on her face. "That's wonderful." She quickly comes around the table hugging both of us before sitting back down next to Haley, looking at her for a moment. "Are you the bad news? Are you not OK with this?"

"Oh my God! No!" Haley shakes her head quickly. "I'm totally fine with it. It's Luke, actually…" Haley trails off slowly, glancing at me and Brooke.

"What about Luke?" Karen looks back at us with a pained expression. "Is he still angry? I've tried to talk to him you know. I really don't know why he's acting like this."

"We do, Karen." Brooke says in a whisper and she glances at me quickly before continuing. "He, um, he kissed me Karen, right before my accident." Karen's face drops in shock and her eyes widen. "He told me that he was still in love with me and then he kissed me. I was so shocked and angry with him that I just stormed away and I wasn't paying attention…"

"He caused the accident…" Karen says more to herself than anyone else. "The accident that almost killed you and your child, he's responsible." She stares at us for a moment before reaching across the table and placing her hand over ours. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe that he did this…"

"There's more…" She looks up at me as the words leave my mouth and I hate my brother just a little bit more because Karen is a wonderful woman and she's so proud of Luke. I hate that we have to be the one to tell her truth about her son, the same way we did with Peyton.

"More?" She shakes her head with a sigh. "Nathan, Brooke, I'm sorry.." She shakes her head again. "I don't know why he's doing this. You all know him, this isn't who he is…" She trails off and for a second I fight the urge to tell her that maybe she doesn't know her son as well as she thinks she does; that actually her son has always been this selfish he was just better at playing the apology cards before. But I don't say any of that. Regardless of my feelings for my brother at the moment, I'm actually pretty fond of Karen Roe and he's still her son. "OK, so what else did he do? And what does it have to do with Peyton? I'm assuming she knows."

"Yeah…" Brooke nods slowly, taking a deep breath. "Um, Lucas showed up at the house last night and um, he and Nathan kind of got into a fight when Nathan found out about the kiss…" Brooke trails off for a second as she glances in my direction. "He told Peyton that Nathan attacked him for no reason and Peyton showed up at the house this morning demanding an explanation…"

"He didn't…" Karen covers her face with her hands for a second before looking back at us. "…and then the two of you had to tell her the truth. You had to break your friend's heart because of my son."

"I don't know what to say except I'm sorry." She looks from Brooke to me and back again. "I thought I raised him better than this."

"I just don't want this to affect our relationship." Brooke reached across the table, taking Karen's hand. "You're like family." She glances at me and I nod in agreement. "You're the closet thing to a mother I've ever had Karen…." Brooke blinks back tears and I wrap my arm gently around her waist for comfort. "…and I just really don't want to lose that."

"Oh Brooke…" Karen rises from her seat to come around the table and I quickly vacate my seat so she can sit next to Brooke. "Do you know how much I love you?" She wraps her arms around Brooke and pulls her into a motherly embrace. "I may not have given birth to you, but you are my daughter, Brooke Davis, in every way that matters. Do you understand me?" She pulls away to look at the younger brunette and Brooke nods and giver her a watery smile. "Good." Karen smiles and gently brushes the tears from Brooke's face before hugging her one more time. "Now, Peyton… do you have any idea where she could be?"

"No…" Brooke shakes her head just as my cell phone rings and I pull the phone from my pocket, answering it without glancing at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Brooke, Haley and Karen are watching me like hawks as I answer the phone.

"Nate? It's Owen down at Tric…" The hairs on my neck stand up when I hear his voice. "Listen, I don't know exactly what's going on but you need to get down here ASAP. Peyton's had a few drinks and Luke just got here and the two of them look like they're about to get into at any second. I just figured you'd want to know."

"No, thanks for calling Owen. I'll be right there." I hang up the phone are turn to the three brunettes, who are all staring at me with wide expectant eyes. "She's at Tric. She's a little drunk and Luke just showed up, so I need to get down there." I reach for my jacket hanging on the back of the chair as Brooke stands up reaching for her purse. "Whoa, what do you think you're doing?" I ask her and she glares at me, hands on her hips. "Peyton's my friend Nathan. I'm just going to leave her down there."

"Brooke…" I begin to protest but she shuts me up with just a look and I frown.

"Nathan, I know that you're worried about me and the baby, but we're fine." She touches my cheek gently before pressing a kiss on my lips. "I love you for worrying and you can go back to worrying about us tomorrow but, right now, Peyton needs all of us. I'm going." She says with a tone that tells me the conversation is over and I glance at Haley, hoping for some kind of support but I can tell from the look on her face that she's firmly on Brooke's side in this debate.

"Fine." I let out a frustrated sigh. "But I don't want you getting involved in this. Just please let me handle Lucas, OK? Get Peyton, get her out of there and I'll handle Lucas."

"OK." Brooke nods in agreement and I look at her for a second. That was too easy. Brooke never agrees to anything that easily. "What, Nathan, I said OK…" She rolls her eyes. "Fine, I promise I won't speak to Lucas. OK? Are you happy?"

"Yes." I kiss her temple lightly. "I'm just trying to keep you safe, you know that right baby?" I whisper and she looks up at me for a second before nodding,

"I know." She says with a smile. "Now, can we please go get Peyton before she does something we all know she's going to regret?"

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"So you see them anywhere?" Haley yells over the music as we enter Tric 20 minutes later, all three of us scanning the room for the two blondes.

"No." Brooke shakes her head. "Where could they be?" She slides her hand into mine, holding onto it tightly. I squeeze her fingers reassuringly.

"Owen's at the bar. Let's ask him." Still holding Brooke's hand, I lead the two women toward the bar. Owen looks up as we approach and relief spreads across his face.

"Nate, thank God you're here! They're in the back!" He points to the large office space in the back of the club.

"Thanks." I give him a wave and glance at Brooke and Haley before heading towards the door Owen just pointed to. I hesitate for just a second before pushing the door open and ushering the two girls inside. The music is drowned out as soon as we shut the door behind us and we instantly here arguing.

"Peyton, please just listen to me!" We head quickly toward the sound of Luke's voice and turn the corner just in time to see Peyton push him roughly away from her.

"Why should I listen to you? So you can lie to me again? You are such a stupid bastard!" She hits him in the chest, tears streaming down her face. "Brooke? How could you do that? How could you do that to me? I thought you loved me! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" She keeps hitting him over and over screaming at him.

"Peyton, stop!" I wrap my arms around her from behind and pull her away from my brother. "You don't want to do this."

"Let me go, Nathan!" She struggles against me. "You got your chance to hit him, now it's my turn!" She glares at Lucas with glassy eyes. "You ruined my life Lucas Scott! You ruined everything! I wish I had never met you! I wish you had left me stranded on the side of the road! I hate you!" She finally collapses in tears in my arms and I turn her in my arms, cradling her head against my chest and I try to soothe her. In an instant Brooke and Haley are at my side, removing Peyton from my arms and wrapping their arms around her tightly, leading her slowly out of the room.

"Thanks, Nate, I…" Lucas begins when we're alone but he's cut off by my fist connecting with his jaw once again.

"The first two were for kissing Brooke. That was for what you've done to Peyton." I shake my head in disgust as he slowly stands up. "You're pathetic Luke. I hope you realize that and I hope you realize that you're selfishness has just cost you everyone in your life. I hope you're happy all alone." I turn and leave before he has a chance to respond and make my way outside to find Haley and Brooke comforting a devastated Peyton. "Come on, let's get you home Sawyer." I wrap my arm around her shoulder and she leans against me, her tears soaking into my shirt as I lead her to the car, with Brooke and Haley close behind.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"How is she?" I jump to my feet, with Rachel close behind me, an hour later when Brooke and Haley finally come out of the guest room where they've been hold up with Peyton ever since we got home.

"She finally cried herself to sleep." Brooke wraps her arms around my waist and leans against me. She looks exhausted, hell she even sounds exhausted.

"Man, Tree Hill is a magnet for drama." Rachel pipes up and the three of us look at her for a second before laughing.

"I never even said hi, Rachel." Haley approaches her slowly and the two of them hesitate for a second before hugging. "Thank you for coming. Welcome home." Haley pulls away to look at her seriously.

"Thanks and thanks for calling me." Rachel says with a small smile and Haley smiles back.

"I could kill Lucas, though." Hakey lets out a sigh as she collapses on the couch. "After everything we all went through when I found out about you guys, you'd think he'd keep his mouth shut." Brooke and I are quiet for a moment and we look at each other.

"Hales…" Brooke begins slowly and Haley immediately gasps, jumping to her feet.

"No, no, no! I didn't mean anything by that." She says quickly, her cheeks flushing a little red. "I'm not holding grudges, I promise. I just meant how miserable we all were, you know?" Brooke bites her lips nervously as she looks up at me.

"Haley are you sure?" I ask finally. "I mean, the three of us never really talked about this…"

"I swear." Haley looks at Brooke. "You're my best friend Tigger, no matter what."

"I know…." Brooke says slowly as Haley pulls her into a hug and the two hold onto each other for a moment. "I am sorry, you know that right?" Brooke pulls away to look at her seriously. "I mean, I know that we hurt you just as bad as Lucas hurt Peyton and…"

"Brooke, stop!" Haley interrupts her. "We're so far past this. You and Nathan are getting married, you're having a baby and I couldn't be happier for you. I promise you, we are fine!"

"OK, I think we need to focus on Luke and Peyton right now." Rachel pipes up and we all look at her. "I just don't see him giving up that easy…" She glances toward the closed door where Peyton is sleeping before looking back at us.

"She's right." I nod, glancing at Haley and Brooke. " He said he was going to fight for you, right?" I try to keep the scowl off my face by fail as I look at Brooke, who nods with a sour look on her face. "Well, we're going to have to deal with him, but where does that leave Peyton?"

"That's true." Haley nods. "Running interference with Luke is turning into a full time job…"

"I think I know who can help." Brooke says suddenly and we turn to look at her. She pulls her cell phone out of her purse and quickly dials a number. We all stare at her. Who is she calling? "Hey, it's Brooke." She says after a few seconds. "No, no, Eli and I are fine…" She pauses for a moment. "Actually, I'm in Tree Hill." She's quiet again. "It's kind of a long story." Silence. "Look, I know this is sort of sudden, but is there anyway that you can come? It's Peyton… she needs you Jake."


	20. Oh Baby!

**Hey guys! I know I suck. I'm really sorry that's it been so long since I've updated but work has been kicking my ass lately and I honestly just haven't had any time to update. This chapter's really short but I kind of like it. I felt like the story was getting away from Brathan and becoming too focussed on the whole Lucas thing. Anyway, I hope you like it. And I'm working on the next chapter now. Anyway, let me know what you think. Please review!**

**XOXO**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Hey are you OK?" Nathan reaches for my hand. I almost laugh when I look up at him. He looks like he's about to pass out at any second. I can't really blame him. We're sitting in the waiting room of my doctor's office, it's my first appointment since the accident and I know he's worried. He's been better about the hovering but I can still feel him watching every move I make. I've stopped complaining because truthfully after everything that's been going on, it's nice to know that he's always close by if I ever need him.

"Yeah." I nod with a smile. "Just a little nauseous. Don't worry this is nothing. When I was pregnant with Eli the morning sickness was indescribable."

"Do you want me to get you something?" Nathan asks, his hand rubbing my back in a soothing motion and I smile up at him.

"No, I think I'm OK." I shake my head slowly.

"OK." He wraps his arm around my shower, pulling me to him. "So, when's Jake coming?"

"He's not sure exactly. He has some stuff to clear up but he's going to get here as soon as he can." I shrug a little.

"Good." Nathan presses a kiss to my temple and I close my eyes for a moment and savour the feeling. Part me still doesn't believe that we're really here; that he and I are together; that we're getting married and having this baby. I keep expecting to wake up and find out that all of this is a dream. Absentmindedly I place my hand on my stomach and can't help but smile a little at the tiny bump that is starting to form. Without warning, Nathan places his hand on top of mine. I look up to find him smiling down at me. No this definitely isn't a dream.

"Brooke Davis." I jump a little at the sound of my name and turn to find the nurse smiling at me. "The doctor's ready for you now."

"Thanks." Nathan and I stand at the same time and follow the nurse into the exam room.

"If you'd like to get changed, Dr. Martin will be in a few minutes." She smiles before excusing herself and Nathan and I are left alone. Nathan takes a seat in the lone chair that's in the room as I pick up the ugly gown laying on the table and eye it in disdain. God I hate these things. I always feel so exposed in these things. Rolling my eyes, I slowly take off my jacket but stop when I see Nathan watching me with a smirk. "Get your mind out of the gutter Scott." I send him a playful glare as I toss my jacket at him.

"Are you kidding?" Nathan stands, slowly walking toward me pulling me against him. "This is like my dream come true. You're about to get naked in front of me, in public." His lips slide to my neck, nipping playfully. "Hell, I'm pretty sure I had this dream last night."

"Nathan Scott, stop it!" I push him away with a laugh and turn away to change. "This is serious business…"

"Hey, if I didn't have a dirty mind, we wouldn't even be here." He kinks his eyebrow in that cute way that I love and I can't help but smile.

"How do I look?" I strike a pose in the ugly gown and Nathan laughs, brushing a piece of my hair away from my face.

"You're beautiful." He whispers. "You're always beautiful." His lips capture mine and I sigh happily as I sink into him, completely forgetting where we are.

"Ahem." We jump apart at the sound of a throat clearing and turn to find Dr. Martin standing in the doorway of the exam room. "Sorry to interrupt." She smiles as she enters and closes the door behind her.

"Hi Dr. Martin." I flush a little. I don't even dare look at Nathan. "Sorry about that."

"There's no need to apologize Brooke." She smiles at me. "This is supposed to be a happy time for the two of you. I think it's sweet. And seeing as the two of us are going to get pretty close in the next few months, please call me Leslie."

"OK. Thanks Leslie." I nod with a smile.

"Alright, are we ready?" She asks with an expectant expression. "Up on the table Brooke." She pats the table with a smile and I sigh as Nathan helps me onto the table and I shift around trying to get comfortable. "OK, this is going to be a little cold." She gives me a reassuring smile as she lifts the gown to expose my stomach. "But you're chart says this is your second child so I guess you're a expert at this." She squirts some gel on my stomach and I gasp. She wasn't joking that stuff really is cold. "Alright, Brooke, Nathan, let's take a look at your son or daughter." I smile and reach for Nathan's hand as the Leslie starts to move the wand over my stomach. Nathan grasps my hand tightly in his and wraps his arm around my shoulder as the two of us stare intently at the screen. "I'm just trying to find the heartbeat. Sometimes they like to move around…." She stops suddenly. _Bum bump, bum bump, bum bump. _Tears fill my eyes and Nathan's hand squeezes mine tightly. I glance up to find him watching the screen with tears shimmering in his eyes and a look of shock and awe written all over his face. "There it is." Leslie points to a spot on the screen about the size of a walnut. "That's your baby." The tears I've been fighting come spilling from my eyes and I lean against Nathan.

"That's our baby, Brooke." He murmurs into my hair, kissing the top of head gently. "That's our baby."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"God, Brooke, that was the most surreal thing that I have every experienced." Nathan reached for my hand an hour later as we were driving home from the doctor's appointment. "I mean, hearing our child's heartbeat like that."

"I know." I place his hand on my stomach and lay mine on top of his. "And he's healthy. That's the most important thing."

"He?" Nathan throws me a sideways glance before looking back at the road. "So, you've accepted that it's going to be a he?"

"No." I throw him a look. "But you're so insistent that we're having a boy and I refuse to keep calling the baby it."

"Well, I can feel it. It's a boy." He gives me a wink as he pulls into our driveway and this time I don't even bother trying to get out of the car. I simply wait patiently as he comes around to help me from the car. He smiles as he opens the door and holds his hand out to me. "Glad that you're finally learning." He whispers, dropping a tiny kiss on my lips. "Come on, let's get you inside."

"Nathan…" He pauses for a moment to look down at me and I look up at him for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I want to tell Eli. I mean the baby's healthy and we're getting married and I think we should tell him."

"I think that's a great idea." He kisses me once more before taking my hand and leading me into the house.

"Mama! Daddy!" Eli comes running into the room as we open the door. Rachel appears in the kitchen door only a second after him and I laugh as he leaps into Nathan's arms. "Did you guys buy presents?"

"No, but we do need to talk to you buddy." Nathan smiles at our son before glancing in my direction.

"Yeah, your dad and I wanted to tell you something." I run my fingers through his hair and look at Rachel. "Rach…"

"I'm going to take a walk." She grabs her purse and kisses Eli's cheek before winking at me and disappearing out the door.

"Alright little man. Come here." Nathan takes him over to the couch and sits down. I follow, sitting down next to Nathan.

"Eli, baby, there's something we need to talk to you about." I begin slowly and have an odd sense of deja view. "How would you feel about being a big brother?" I say quietly, watching him carefully.

"A big brother?" He looks at me confused before looking at Nathan and then back again. "Me?"

"Yeah, buddy you." Nathan whispers to him. "Your Mama's going to have another baby. Are you OK with that?"

"Another baby?" He looks so confused and I can't help but smile before reaching out and taking him from Nathan's arms.

"Yeah." I nod putting my hand on my stomach. "There's a baby in here and he or she is going to be born in a few months and then you'll be a big brother."

"Really?" He looks at me a little suspiciously and I almost burst out laughing. "You have a baby in your belly?"

"Yeah, I have a baby in my belly, just like you used to be in my belly." I smile down at him and he stares at me for moment before sliding off my lap and wrapping his little arms around my waist.

"Hi baby." He says, kissing my stomach. I stare at him for a long moment before lifting him back into my arms and hugging him close to me. My eyes meet Nathan's over the top of his head and the two of us share a smile.


	21. What Am I Doing Here?

"So, the appointment went well? Everything is OK with the baby?" Haley links her arm with mine as the two of us head toward Karen's Café to meet Rachel and Peyton.

"Yeah." I nod with a smile. "The doctor says everything is fine. We're both healthy." Haley grins and squeezes my arm.

"I'm glad. You've been under so much stress lately and I know how much you hate us hovering but I've been worried about you." She nudges my shoulder with hers.

"I know you have but I'm fine I promise." I smile. "We told Eli today." I glance at Haley and her eyes widen for a second before a smile spreads across her face again.

"What happened? How did he take it?" Haley stops and looks at me. I'm quiet for a moment as I look at her. She loves Eli. That much is obvious. Sometimes it's hard to believe that she's been in his life for such a short period of time and it makes me wish, yet again, that things had been different; that I could have been honest with her from the beginning; that I could have shared Eli's pregnancy with her. Rachel was amazing. She _is _amazing and like I said, she kept me sane. She took me in when I needed her, no questions asked and she has loved Eli unconditionally from the moment he was born. I love her more than I could ever put into words but there are so many things I wish I could change; so many things that I still have to make up for.

"He was a little confused at first but he was good. I think he's excited about being a big brother." I pause again for a moment. "He loves you, you know that right?" Haley looks at me confused and I continue. "Eli, he loves you a lot." Haley starts to speak but I stop her. "I just don't want you to think that he doesn't because Rachel's here now. She was there… and I wish that you had been and…. I…. "

"Brooke, stop!" Haley finally stops me and I look up at her to find her watching me with a smile. "You know how much I love Eli and I'm not jealous or angry or anything like that because of his relationship with Rachel…"

"I just… I don't want you to think that I replaced you." I blink back tears. "No one could ever replace you in my life, Hales…"

"I know." Haley pulls me into another hug. "No one could ever replace you in my life either.."

"I love you Tutor Girl." I hold on to her as tight as I can.

"I love you too Tigger." She pulls away to look at me, brushing the tears from my eyes. "Have you heard from Jake? Do you know when he's coming?"

"He's supposed to get in this evening. I told him I'd meet him at the River Court."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

I glance at my watch with a sigh and stare out at the water. I hope I did the right thing by calling Jake. But like I told Haley this afternoon, I just didn't know who else to call. Peyton is a mess and none of us know how to help her. Maybe we're all just too involved in everything to be able to. At least Jake is somewhat neutral in everything. He isn't torn in different directions the way the rest of are. His sole focus can be Peyton. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

"I knew you'd come eventually." I freeze at the sound of his voice and sigh as I slowly turn to look at him. "Pretty Girl, I'm so glad you came. I know how messed up everything has been lately but the fact that you're here…"

"Lucas…" My voice is cold and my expression hard. "That's not…"

"Brooke, it's OK." He cuts me off with a smile and I fight the urge to slap him. "We'll figure this out together." He smiles again. "I know that you're worried about Eli and the baby, but you don't have to be. Do you remember before the accident, you said that I had Keith and you wanted Eli to have me. Well I'm going to be the best uncle and the best stepfather any kid could ever ask for." Stepfather? What? What the hell is he talking about? Has he lost his mind? I think he's lost his mind. I actually think that he is certifiably insane. "I know that Nate and Peyton are going to be upset at first but in time they'll accept it."

"Lucas, you need to stop this!" I shake my head with a sigh. Why can't he just get this through his head. Why can't he see what's he doing?

"Pretty girl…" He brushes his fingers across my cheek and I flinch at his touch.

"Brooke? Lucas?" I look over Luke's shoulder to see Jake standing behind him and Lucas turns to look at him.

"Jake?" Lucas stares at him for a moment. "It's good to see you. We've missed you around here, man" A grin spreads across his face as he holds his hand out to Jake. "What are you doing here?"

"Peyton." Jake says simply and the smile on Lucas' face is gone in a second. "Brooke called me because she was worried about her." He glances at me for a second before looking back at Lucas. "What's going on here?"

"Jake, listen, you and I are friends and…." Lucas begins.

"Would you please just leave, Lucas." My tone is cold and Luke looks down at me for a moment before glancing at Jake, who is watching the two of us closely. He doesn't know exactly what's going on but I can tell that he knows something is up.

"Luke, man, why don't you give Brooke and I some time." Jake says after a moment. "She doesn't really seem to want to talk to you right now."

"I…" Luke looks at me (I steadfastly refuse to meet his gaze, even though I can feel his eyes on me). "Ugh, yeah, sure." He's quiet for a moment before continuing. "Jake, can you just remember that there are two sides to every story." I can't stop my self from snorting at the absurdness of that statement. Two sides to every story my ass. I cross my arms defiantly over my chest as Luke shoots me a look. Don't look so shocked, dumb ass! I've never been all that adept to hiding my disdain for things.

"Maybe you should head out Luke." Jake says finally. I here Luke mumble something about Jake stopping by the café and I continue to glare out at the water until I'm sure he's gone.

"Brooke, you can turn around now." I turn and really look at Jake for the first time and I can't help but smile. His hair's a bit shorter than it was the last time we saw each other but his eyes and smile are as kind and warm as they've always been.

"Hey Jake." I let out a happy sigh as he approaches and pulls me into hug. "I missed you. Thank you for coming." My voice is thick as tears fill my eyes and I hold onto him tightly.

"I missed you too, Brooke." He murmurs into my hair before pulling away to look down at me. "Now can you please tell me what the hell is going on?" We slowly sit down on the picnic table and Jake wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. "You call me up in the middle of the night and scare the crap out me, telling me Peyton needs me. I come down, find you and Lucas in the middle of I don't even know what. So, talk to me. What are you doing in Tree Hill? What is going on with Peyton? And what the hell was just going on between you and Lucas."

"I moved back a few months ago." I say slowly and Jake raises his eyebrows.

"Really. I definitely did not expect that. What about Eli? I mean, I thought the point of you leaving Tree Hill…" Jake trails off as he looks over at me with questioning eyes.

"Nathan knows." I say with a small smile as I look over at Jake. "He and I are together. I'm actually pregnant again and we're getting married." I hold up my left hand.

"Wow!" Jake takes my hand and examines the ring. "Well, I have to say that was the absolute last thing I expected you to say." He looks up at me. "Congratulations." He pulls me into another hug. "What about Haley?" He pulls away to look at me.

"It was hard at first." I begin slowly, guilt seeping through me. I know Haley says that she's fine and that she's forgiven me, but it doesn't change what I did to her. I still have to live with the knowledge of how I betrayed her. "Um, but some stuff happened… I was in a car accident…"

"Are you OK?" Jake's face falls into a mask of worry. "Is the baby OK?" He reaches for me and I smile as I pat his cheek gently.

"I'm fine Jake. Haley was at the hospital when I woke up. She said that life was too short…" I blink back tears and give him a smile. "She forgave me, even though I didn't deserve it."

"Good, I'm glad." Jake smiles at me and we're both quiet for a moment. "So, why I am here Brooke?" Jake says finally and I look up at him slowly. "What does all of this have to do with Peyton? And Lucas? You still haven't told me what was going on with you two when I showed up?"

"Um, well, Peyton and Luke… they aren't doing so well." I say slowly. Not doing so well, that's certainly the understatement of the year, but I should probably ease Jake into this. How do I explain this to him? He gave Peyton up because he wanted to her to be happy. He thought Luke could make her happy and now I have to tell him that he did that for no reason; that he walked away from what may have the love of his life for no reason. "When Luke found out about me and Nathan, he, um, well he was upset to say the least. He basically called me a slut and cut Nathan out of his life completely." I pause for a moment and take a deep breath, slowly letting it out. God, it's still difficult to tell this story. But my guess is that'll never change. "It kind of drove a wedge between them. I mean, you know Peyton, she was shocked obviously, but tried not to take sides. Basically the whole "people in glass houses" thing."

"OK, I can understand that." Jake says after a moment. "But why am I'm here?" I look up and find him watching me with a serious expression. "I mean, if Haley can forgive you and Nathan then Luke can too. I mean, it looks like he wants to…." I stare at him for a second and can't help but wonder if he's really that naïve? He can't be.

"That's kind of the problem Jake…" I shake my head slowly. "Turns out that Haley wasn't the reason Luke was so angry with us…." I trail off for a second and Jake just stares at me. "Right before my accident, Luke told me he was still in love with me and he kissed me…"

"He what?" Jake's whole body tenses and I nod.

"He said it again in the hospital after I woke up…" I blink back tears and Jake pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head comfortingly. "I didn't want Nathan or Peyton to ever find out but he showed up at the house and he got in a fight with Nathan and then told Peyton that Nathan attacked him…"

"What?" Jake stares at me incomprehensibly. I understand that feeling so well. It's just so hard to wrap your head around because it's Lucas Scott and Lucas Scott just doesn't do things like that… at least that's what he makes you believe and the pulls the rug out from under you.

"Yeah.." I nod slowly. "And then Peyton came over completely livid and I had to tell her the truth…" I bury my face in Jake's shoulder and he rubs my back. "I had to break her heart, Jake."

"Shh…" He murmurs into my hair. "It's OK Brooke." He looks down at me, gently wiping the tears from my face.

"It's not OK, Jake." I shake my head miserably. "She's a wreck. She got into this huge argument with Luke at Tric and… I just don't know what to do for her… I just didn't know who else to call."

"Hey, I'm glad you called me Brooke." Jake smiles down at me. "I just hope I can help." Jake pauses for a moment as he looks down at me. "It'll be OK, Brooke." Jake pulls me into another hug. "Peyton's tough. She'll bounce back from this."

"I hope so…"

**A/N - I know I say it every time but I'm sorry I've been so spacey with the updating. And thank you to everyone who has stuck with the story this all. Anyway, here's the next part. I hope you like it. Please review! **

**XOXO**


	22. It's Gonna Be OK

**A/N - I know it's kind of short but I thought it turned out pretty good. Anyway, I hope you all like it. Thank you for all of the reviews!!! **

**Tamarindo, bdavisrulz, NickJLover927, tanya2byour21, fggt 16, you guys are awesome! Thanks for sticking with the story! And thanks to everyone who took the time to review!! It means so much to know you like it!! Please keep reviewing, it keeps me inspired to write more :)**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

**XOXO**

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are we going Daddy?" Eli peers up at me as we walk to Karen's.

"We're going to Karen's, buddy." I smile down at him. "She's going to watch you while your Mama and I do something."

"I wuv going to Karen's!" He grins and I can't help but laugh. He really has to be the most loveable child I've ever known. "Daddy, look Mama!" I shift Eli in my arms before following his pointing finger. A smile finds my face when my eyes land on Brooke. I don't know how she does it. It's only been a few hours and my heart still aches at the mere sight of her. She is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Inside and out. I mean, obviously she's physically stunning. God, she's beyond stunning. I could spend every minute of every day touching her and it still wouldn't be enough. But it's what inside that makes her beautiful. She has this amazing heart. When she loves it's passionate and fierce. She puts her whole heart and soul into it. When you're lucky enough to have Brooke Davis love you, it's like nothing you've ever experienced. Every day I wonder what she sees in me because when she looks at me there's no questioning or uncertainty, there's just pure love and I wonder what I did to deserve it. The answer is simple, absolutely nothing. I don't deserve her. I don't deserve the little boy in my arms or that baby growing inside of her. I don't deserve any of it. But for some unknown reason, she's decided that I'm worthy. So I'm going to do everything in my power to be the man that she sees when she looks at me. "Let's go see Mama!" Eli hits my chest, bringing me back to reality and I look down at him before look back at Brooke and nodding.

"OK, buddy, let's go see your Mama." I kiss the top of his head with a smile before setting off across the park toward the River Court.

"Mama!" Brooke looks up as we approach and smile spreads across her face when she sees us.

"Hey, it's my two favourite men. What are you doing here? I thought I was going to meet you at Karen's?" She rises from her seat to greet us, taking Eli from my arms and resting him on her hip. "Hey buddy." She plants butterfly kisses across his cheek before turning to me. "Hi." She looks up at me with a smile and my heart skips a beat. "I missed you today." She murmurs, standing on her tip toes and leaning up to kiss me.

"I missed you more." I whisper against her mouth and she lets out a tiny sigh as I press my lips to hers. God, how much do I love this woman.

"Mama and daddy are kissing…" Eli's giggles pull us apart and the two of us look down at him.

"Ha, ha…" Brooke tickles him, eliciting a laugh from our son. "Look who's here." She says with a smile.

"Uncle Jake!" Eli's practically jumps out of Brooke's arms into his.

"What's up little dude!" Jake catches him easily and holds his hand up to Eli, who slaps him high five, before turning to me. "Good to see you Nate." He holds his hand out to me. "And I guess congratulations are in order."

"Yeah, thanks." I glance at Brooke before shaking Jake's hand. "Welcome back. I wish it was under better circumstances but it's good to see you."

"Yeah, likewise." Jakes nods slowly. "Brooke filled me in. I can't believe all of this. I mean, Luke…" He trails off and glances at Eli.

"Uncle Jake, is Jenny here?" Eli asks and I stare at Brooke for a moment before looking back at Jake. Obviously in the years away from Tree Hill, Brooke and Jake had grown closer than I'd realized.

"She's with her mom, pal, but I promise I'll bring her to visit soon OK?" Jake smiles down at my son and Eli nods, happy with that answer.

"Alright, boys, how about we get out of here. Rachel's going to meet us at Karen's when we drop Eli off and we'll head to Haley's to see Peyton from there." Brooke says as she picks up her bag and slips her hand into mine.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Nathan, can I talk to you for a second?" We all stop outside Karen's house at the sound of Jake's voice and Brooke and I turn to look at him. He shifts nervously for a second, looking down at Eli. "Hey bud, can you go with your mom for a second so I can talk to your dad?" He glances at Brooke, who steps up, taking Eli out of Jake's arms. She gives me a peculiar look and I shrug helplessly as she settles Eli in her arms.

"We'll meet you guys inside." She kisses me quickly before heading toward Karen's front door. I wait until they've disappeared into the house before turning back to Jake.

"What's up man?" The look on his face is a little scary to be honest. What does he want to tell me? What did Brooke say to him before I showed up? Is there something wrong with the baby and she didn't want to tell me? The mere thought of it makes my stomach turn and I push the thoughts from my mind. It can't be that. Brooke wouldn't keep something like that from me. Shit, is it Jenny? That would explain him not wanting Brooke around when he told me. Jesus, I wish he would say something because my brain is working overtime and with all of the crap that has happened recently I automatically assume the worst.

"I needed to talk to you away from Brooke." Jake says finally, not doing anything to ease my confusion by the way. "Man to man, father to father." He runs his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "I need you to understand this whole situation with me and Brooke. She called me out of the blue when Eli was only a couple of months old. He was sick. It wasn't anything serious, it was just a cold or something, and the doctors had told her not to worry but she was a new mother, you know, she was scared. She didn't have anyone else to call, so she called me. I was shocked to say the least. I mean, obviously Brooke Davis calling me for parenting advice was the last thing I expected. But I tried to calm her down, ease her mind, let her know that kids get sick, it happens, Anyway we kind of stayed in touch after and she brought Eli to Savannah a few months later. Nathan the moment I saw him, I knew why she left Tree Hill. He was so obviously your son, at least to me. You had a right to know about him and I told her that. I've been telling her that last two years. I wanted to tell you, but she trusted me and it wasn't my place…"

"It's OK Jake." I slap his shoulder lightly. "You were looking out for her, I get that and I appreciate it. Besides, I was married. What were you supposed to do?"

"But I'm a father, Nate. If Nicki had kept Jenny from me…" Jake shakes his head.

"Two different situations, man." It's my turn to shake my head. "Look, I'm not going to fault Brooke or you or Rachel for not telling me. The situation was what it was. Truthfully, I'm relieved that Eli had so many people around that loved him and that Brooke had a support system she could count on."

"So, we're cool?" Jake holds his hand out to me hesitantly.

"Dude, we're fine." I shake his hand. "Now, let's see if you can work your Jake Jagielski

magic on Peyton."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Hey you guys, come on in." Haley holds the door open to us a little while later and the four of us file into the house. "Hi Jake!" Haley smiles as she hugs Jake quickly. "It's great to see you. How's Jenny?"

"She's good." Jake smiles. "It's really good to see you Hales." Haley smiles one more time before turning to the rest of us.

"Where's Peyton?" Brooke asks, peering into the living room.

"She's upstairs." Haley sighs, smile gone in an instant. "She's a mess."

"Really?" Rachel frowns. "I mean, she seemed so much better this afternoon at lunch."

"Yeah, well we ran into Lucas on our way home. She's been locked in the spare room since we got back." Haley shakes her head slowly.

"Oh god, what did he do now?" I feel Brooke tense next to me and I wrap my around her shoulders in a effort to keep her calm.

"The same stuff he always does." Haley rolls her eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you, I can't help the way I feel, blah, blah, blah. I don't know why he won't just stay away from her, you know. It's like he doesn't get it that he's making it worse every time he talks to her." Haley sighs again before turning back to Jake with a small smile. "But I'm glad you're here Jake. I think seeing you will do her some good. And she needs something to make her smile again. Come on, this way." She motions for us to follow and we all head up the stairs behind her. "Peyton, honey…" Haley knocks lightly on the door. "Peyton?" There's silence on the other side of the door and Haley glances over her shoulder at the rest of us before slowly turning the knob and pushing the door open. I stop when I see Peyton curled up on the bed and suddenly I want to hurt Lucas all over again. The five of us stand there for a moment, not knowing what to do or say. Peyton's back is to us but I can see her shoulders shaking as she sobs quietly to herself. After a few moments, Jake slowly approaches the bed and sits down next to her and reaches out to brush the hair from her face.

"Shh… I'm here Peyton." He whispers as he envelops her in his arms. "Everything's going to OK. I promise everything's going to be OK."


	23. Clearing the Air

**Brooke's POV**

My heart breaks as I watch Jake cross the room and gather Peyton in his arms, murmuring into her hair. I unconsciously move closer to Nathan and he automatically wraps his arm around me, drawing me into his side, knowing without any words spoken that I need his strength right now.

"Everything's going to OK. I promise everything's going to be OK." Jake's low voice carries across the room and Peyton looks up at him in shock and disbelief.

"Jake?" Her voice is barely a whisper as she stares at him. "What? How….?"

"Shh… it's OK. I'm here, that's all that matters now." He tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear before gently wiping the tears from her face. "And I'm not going anywhere, so you just let it out. I'll be right here for as long as it takes." Jake gently pulls her back into his arms, cradling her head against his chest and suddenly I feel like we're intruding. Peyton doesn't need a group of spectators right now.

"Guys…" I whisper, glancing at Nathan, Haley and Rachel before nodding toward the door. They all nod immediately and start to move out of the room. We file into the hall and I turn to close the door behind but pause at the scene in front of me. Tears fill my eyes as I watch Peyton cling to Jake's shirt as she sobs into his chest. The last things I here as I close the door are Jake's whispers of comfort and for a brief second I'm hopeful. Peyton is so broken right now, but if anyone can bring her back it's Jake.

"So, what now?" Rachel asks as the four of stand in the hall staring at each other. She's right, we have to do something. We can't just stand in the hall waiting for Peyton and Jake to come out.

"Are you guys hungry? I could make us something to eat." Haley offers and I glance in her direction. It's sweet of her to offer but the truth is I couldn't even think about eating right now. I'm about to tell her that but Nathan beats me to the punch.

"I think that's a good idea, Hales. When was the last time you ate?" Nathan suddenly pipes up, resting his hand on the small of my back and gazing down at me with worried eyes. "Brooke, there's nothing we can do up here. Let's go downstairs and get something to eat. Peyton and Jake will come out when she's ready."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I nod slowly glancing at the bedroom door for a second before turning to Haley. "OK, lead the way, Tutor Girl."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHTOHTOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Hey, what are you doing out here by yourself?" I look up at the sound of Rachel's voice as she sits down next me on Haley's back step.

"I just needed some air." I smile at her. "Where's Nathan?" I glance toward the house. I've been out here for a while and I'm kind of surprised that he hasn't come looking for me.

"He's talking to Haley about something…" Rachel trails off. "What's up with the three of you anyway? Do you just not talk about the fact that you're having his baby and technically he's still married to her."

"Nathan's talked to his lawyer, the papers are being drawn, but these things take time." I frown a little as I look at her. "God, Rach, why would you even bring that up?"

"Hey, I'm sorry, OK." She nudges me with her shoulder. "But I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt again. Look, I know Haley's said that she's forgiven the two of you but he was her husband and you were her best friend. That's not something you just get over. And I'm just afraid that she's burying things and then all of a sudden one day she's going to explode and everything that she's bottled up about you and Nathan is going to come flying out." Rachel pauses for a moment as she looks at me. "I know how much she means to you Brooke and I know that it would kill you to lose her again." She reaches for my hand. "I'll always be here for you, you know that, but you need to talk to her. You need to _really _talk to her." I'm quiet for a long time as I look at the redhead sitting next to me.

"I know." I nod slowly, staring at my hands. "I know I need to talk to her but this whole mess with Lucas…." I sigh a little. "I know that's not an excuse but it was so nice to have her back, you know. I didn't want to rock the boat."

"Didn't want to rock what boat?" The two of us jump at the sound of Haley's voice and look up to find her standing over us with a curious expression.

"I'm going to go see what Nathan's doing." Rachel jumps to her feet and throws me a knowing look before disappearing inside.

"OK, what was that about?" Haley asks as she replaces Rachel on the steps next to me. "I swear Brooke, I love Rachel and all, and I know she's been a great friend to you, but the girl is a off." Haley makes a face and I can't help but laugh a little.

"I've missed this Hales." I link my arm through hers and rest my head against her shoulder. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too Brooke." Haley lays her head on mine and the two of us sit in silence for a few moments. "So, what were you and Rachel talking about? What boat are we rocking now?"

"Um…" I pause for a moment as I sit up to look at her. "Actually, we were talking about you." Haley looks at me confused. "Hales, I know that you've said that you're fine with me and Nathan but I'm wondering if maybe we shouldn't talk about it…" I trail off and bite my lip nervously. "I just… what I did, it was unforgivable Haley… and you just forgave me and I am so grateful for that because I don't think I could live my life without you in it but…" I run my fingers through my hair with a sigh. "We've never really talked about what happened. After the accident we all just sort of swept it under the rug. I never really thought about it before until Rachel brought it up. But she made a good point. The three of us, we act like I didn't have his child while he was married to you. We act like the whole thing never happened, like your relationship with him never happened and that's not right. I just don't want there to be anything bad between us anymore."

"Oh Brooke…" Haley pulls me into a hug. "I love you. You are my best friend. And I'm not going to sit here and say that finding about you and Nathan wasn't horrible, because it was. I felt pain that I didn't even know was possible…" I cringe at her words but Haley reaches for my hand. "And, yeah, at first I didn't think that I would ever get passed it. I didn't think that I would ever be able to forgive you." Haley pauses for a moment and I watch her try to collect her thoughts. "Seeing you and Nathan together, seeing the two of you with Eli, seeing how much he loved you, it was so hard and it hurt so much. But do you know what was worse? That call from Karen telling me that you had been in the accident. I can't even begin to describe how terrified I was. I have never been so scared in my life. All I could think was 'Brooke thinks that I hate her. What if Brooke dies thinking I hate her?'. The second I walked in that room and saw you in that hospital bed, I didn't care about me and Nathan or you and Nathan, all I cared about was you getting better." Haley gives me a soft smile. "Everything got put into perspective after that call, Brooke." She wraps her arm around my shoulder and rests her head against mine again. "I love you for worrying about me, but you don't need to. I know that you're sorry. I know that Nathan's sorry. I know that the two of you did not mean for this to happen. But you can't help who you love. Besides, it's pretty obvious that you and Nathan are meant to be together." She pauses for a moment as she pulls away to look at me. "This is the last time I ever want to hear anything from you about this, OK?".

"OK." I nod with a small smile before she hugs me one more time.

"Hey, are I interrupting?" Haley and I look up to see Peyton standing just outside the door.

"Of course not!" Haley exclaims as we both scramble to our feet and rush across the deck.

"Are you OK P. Sawyer?" I ask slowly, not wanting to upset her even more.

"Yeah, I'm doing better. Thanks to Jake." She glances through the window where Jake is talking to Nathan and Rachel. "Thank you for calling him."

"We just didn't know what to do for you, I just thought Jake might." I shrug a little. "I'm just glad he helped."

"Yeah." Peyton nods as she look from me to Haley and back again. "For the first time in weeks I actually feel like I am going to be OK. It's going to take some time but I think I'm going to be OK." Haley and I smile at each other before wrapping our arms around the blonde in front of us. After everything the three of us have been through together, the fact that we're still standing and we're all still friends says alot. I tighter my arms around them and close my eyes. I think Peyton's right. It's going to take some time, but I think we're all going to be OK.

**A/N - Initially I was going to have this chapter be mostly Peyton and Jake but then I realized that neither Brooke or Nathan would be in the room with Peyton and Jake while, they would've given them some privacy so I reworked it into a Baley chapter. I hope you like it. I've got some ideas for the next few chapters that I'm really excited about. I hope you will be too. OK, as always, I own nothing, and please, please, please review! Thanks, love you all! **

**XOXO**


	24. Nothing Is What It Seems

**Nathan's POV**

I glance out the window and a tiny smile finds my face as I watch the three friends hug. I'm glad that Brooke has them. As much as I love her, I know that she needs them. A few seconds later the door opens and the three of them come filing in. "You OK?" I murmur into her hair as she slides her arm around my waist and I wrap mine around her shoulders.

"Yeah." She smiles and moves closer to me and I plant a tiny kiss on the top of her head.

"So, listen, I was thinking that we should all spend the day together tomorrow." Rachel suddenly pipes up. "The six of us. We'll pack a lunch, take Eli to the park, you two strapping young men can teach him to play basketball while the four of us gossip about you. It's supposed to be a beautiful day and I think all of could use a little fun." She looks around the room with a expectant expression.

"Actually, I think that's a really great idea Rach." Peyton says with a smile. "We do need to have some fun. It seems like our lives lately have been revolving around this drama."

"Alright, I'm in." Haley nods, turning to Jake.

"Yeah, me too. Sounds like fun." The four of them turn to look at me and Brooke and we're both quiet for a moment as we look at each other.

"I'm all about the fun so yeah, we're in." She grins, her dimples on full display. Rachel immediately starts talking to Jake, Peyton and Haley about the next day and I feel Brooke tighten her arms around my waist as she watches our friends and rests her head against my chest.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"So the girl's are supposed to meet us here?" Jake asks me the next afternoon as we make our way to the River Court.

"Yeah." I nod. "Should give us enough time for a little one on one if you're up to it." I toss the basketball towards him as we step on the court and Jake grins.

"I think I can take you Scott." Jake shoots the ball from where he's standing and it sails easily through the basket.

"Not bad Jagielski." I grab the ball and toss it back to him. "Let's do this." We play for a bit before the sound of a car interrupts us. We both look up to see Lucas getting out of his car. "Jesus Christ." I mutter a swear as my brother approaches and I glance at Jake, who is having a similar reaction. He doesn't look too impressed to see Lucas either. I glance at my watch quickly. The girls are going to be here soon. I really hope he's gone before they get here because Peyton is finally starting get back to herself and seeing him is only going to make things worse. And all that's going to do is stress Brooke out again, which is the last thing I want. She's so vulnerable right now and I'm not going to let my broody idiot brother upset her _again_.

"Hey Jake." Lucas says as he approaches us and hesitates for a second before looking at me. "Nathan." I stare at him for a long moment before shaking my head with a scoff. I find it so funny how he can stand in front of me and act like he didn't almost kill the mother of my child.

"Look, Brooke and Peyton are going to be here soon and I guarantee you that neither of them want to see you." My voice is tense. My fist is twitching to hit him. God, he's so god damn stupid. He still thinks that his feelings are the only ones that matters.

"What the hell happened to you Lucas?" Jake says suddenly and the two of us look at him. "When I left, you were a good guy. Sure, you made some mistakes but you didn't intentionally go out of your way to hurt people."

"Jake, I never meant to hurt Peyton…" Lucas begins but Jake cuts him off.

"I sent her back here to you! She loved you and I wanted her to be happy so I let her go! I let her go because I thought that you could make her happy!" Jake's whole body is tense as he stares at my brother. I've never seen Jake look so angry. "And Brooke, you claim to love her but you've done nothing but hurt her for as long as I've known you! She's finally happy and you have to try and ruin that!" Jake stops for a second as he takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down. "I'm not a violent person Lucas, but right all I want to do is make you feel pain. I care about these girls and I'm not going to stand by and let you keep hurting them."

"Jake…" Lucas begins but suddenly stops. His eyes widen and he sinks to his knees. What the hell is going on? His eyes roll back in his head and he falls back onto the asphalt. Shit, his heart.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Nathan!" Jake and I look up at the sound of Brooke's voice and relief floods through me when I see her rushing down the hospital corridor toward me with Haley, Peyton and Rachel close behind. She throws her arms around me the moment she reaches me and I sink into her embrace. "Are you OK?" Her voice is shaking as pulls away to look at me.

"I'm OK." I say slowly and she breathes a sigh of relief.

"Don't scare me like that." She whispers, resting her forehead against mine. There are tears in her eyes and my expression softens as I pull her into my arms. We've all spent way too much time in hospitals recently. "What happened?"

"Lucas showed up at the River Court while Jake and I were waiting for you guys. It's didn't get physical but it got heated. He had some sort of attack." I sink into a chair. Brooke immediately sits next to me, wrapping her arms around me again. "He just collapsed. The only thing I can think is that it must have been his heart." I hold onto Brooke for a long time before slowly turning to look at the others. Peyton's taken a seat next to Jake and Haley and Rachel are sitting next to each other across the room.

"Is he going to be OK?" Haley finally breaks the silence and we all look at her. I can see the fear in her eyes; her whole body's tense. She's scared. She's scared for her friend. Even after everything's that happened she still cares about him. But that's not surprising. She's Haley. Truthfully, I'm scared too. I would never admit this but there was still a tiny part of me that hoped Luke and I could work this out. Now I guess that's never going to happen.

"We're still waiting for the doctor to come out." Jake says quietly, guilt written all over his face. I tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but he won't listen.

"Has anyone called Karen?" Brooke looks up at me. "Someone should call Karen."

"We called her." I brush the hair from her face and press a kiss against her temple. "She's on her way." Brooke nods silently. "Where's Eli?"

"He's OK. I left him with your mom." She looks up at me again with a small smile before settling back into my arms. The room falls back into silence.

"I didn't think about his heart." Peyton says suddenly, her voice barely a whisper. "I was so angry with him that I didn't think about his heart." We're all quiet as we look at her. None of us thought about his heart.

"Brooke? Nathan?" Karen appears in the room and we all jump to our feet. "What happened?" She looks at me with tears in her eyes. "Is he OK?"

"We're still waiting." I whisper, wrapping my arms around my brother's mother. Haley and Brooke immediately join us and the four of us stand there, holding onto each other. We wait for what seems like hours but truthfully I have no idea how long we've been here. The doctor finally comes in. We all stare at each other for a second before looking to him.

"Is he OK? Is my son OK?" Karen asks slowly, her whole body shaking. "His heart…" Brooke slips her hand into mine and I hold onto her tightly as we wait for the doctor to answer.

"It wasn't your son's heart that caused the attack Ms. Roe. His heart seems fine." The doctor says finally and I breathe a sigh of relief as Brooke rests her head against my shoulder. "Has your son been different lately? Has he been acting out character? Doing things he normally wouldn't do?"

"Ugh… yes actually, for the last couple of months he's been acting really different…" Karen trails off as she glances at the assembled group. "Why?"

"Well we ran every test possible, trying to find out what was wrong…" The doctor pauses for a moment. "The CT Scan showed a tumor on your son's brain."

"A tumor?!" Karen's face crumples and I wrap my arms around her again. Out of the corner of my eye I see Brooke and Haley holding onto each other and Jake, Peyton and Rachel all watching with worried eyes.

"It's benign but it's pressing on Lucas' brain, which would explain his odd behaviour over the last few months." The doctor's words hit me like ton of bricks. Everything that's happened, everything that Lucas did, it wasn't his fault. I glance at Brooke, who looks at me with a wide eyes. I'm sure she's just had the same realization I did. "We'd like to operate as soon as possible because if left too long it could become cancerous. But unfortunately Lucas is refusing the surgery." I think every last person in the room gasps, including me. "He's awake right now if you'd like to see him. I was hoping you could talk to him."

"Can we all go?" Rachel asks and the whole group turns to look at her.

"Maybe not all of you right now, it might overwhelm him." The doctor says gently and immediately Brooke lets go of my hand.

"You should go." She nods at me, Karen, Haley and Peyton.

"I can't see him yet Brooke." Peyton shakes her head and moves closer to Jake, who wraps his arm around her shoulder. "You go."

"Are you sure?" Brooke looks uncertain but Peyton nods. "OK.." Brooke says finally, turning back to me. I take her hand and the four of us follow the doctor silently to Luke's room.

"Lucas, your family's here." Luke looks up when the doctor opens the door. Karen immediately rushes to the bed and pulls Lucas into a hug.

"I'm OK, mom." Lucas says slowly. "So, you guys all know, huh?" He looks at me, Brooke and Haley once Karen has finally released him.

"I should have known there was something wrong, Luke." Haley's voice cracks as she approaches the bed and reaches for Lucas' hand. "I should have known that this wasn't you; that you wouldn't intentionally hurt the people you love like that."

"There was no way you could have known, Hales." Lucas says slowly and Haley nods, wrapping her arms around her friend. They slowly separate and Lucas looks at me and Brooke. "I'm kind of surprised two are here." Brooke and I look at each other for a long time before we both look back at my brother.

"How are you holding up?" Brooke asks, her hand still clutching mine and Luke's eyes land on our entwined fingers for a moment before he looks back up at us.

"It's kind of weird…" He says finally. "I feel totally fine but apparently I have this thing on my brain that's making me feel things that aren't real." He looks from Brooke to me and back again. "It's kind of hard to get my head around it. The things that I feel when I look at you Brooke, those feelings are real to me and now I'm being told that they're not. But they have to be real. I broke Peyton's heart because of them. I betrayed my brother, I almost killed you, Brooke. And because of what? A tumor?"

"But this is good thing, Luke." Brooke's husky voice is thick and I look down to find her near tears. "I mean, they found it, and they can remove it and you can go back to being Lucas." Brooke brushes the tears from her cheek and moves closer to me, moulding herself into my side as I wrap my arm around her and kiss the top of her head. I see jealousy flash behind Luke's eyes as he watches us and I tighten my arms around the tiny brunette beside me.

"Look, I know that I'm supposed to want this thing out of my head, but what I'm hearing from the doctors and all of you is that when they remove this…" Lucas breaks off for a moment and take a deep breath. "After the surgery, all of these feelings, they're going to be gone."

"Exactly." Karen says, stepping forward to take his hand. "And then, maybe, all of you can start to rebuild your relationships."

"I don't want them to be gone, mom." Lucas looks at his mother and Karen's face drops in shock. Haley is wearing a similar expression. He slowly looks at me. "Nathan, you probably don't believe me, but I am sorry for everything. I am sorry that I hurt you and Peyton, but I love her…" His eyes land on Brooke and his expression softens. "And maybe everything I'm feeling is because of the tumor, but I don't care. I don't want those feelings to go away."

"That's the tumor talking" Brooke pulls away from me and approaches the bed slowly. "Lucas, do you have any idea how much you mean to me? To Nathan? To all of us? We know that the person you used to be, the real you, is still in there? I want that Lucas back." She stares down at him with tears shimmering in her eyes. "I want my friend back."

"And I want my brother back." I move across the room to stand next to Brooke. "You were more than just my brother, you were my best friend. I'm a father Luke, and I'm about to get married and have another baby and it kills me that I can't share any of that with you. You have this surgery and we can start to get back to the way things were."

"We miss you. All of us." Haley speaks up, moving to stand on the other side of Brooke. "Brooke, Nathan, Peyton… even Jake and Rachel I'm willing to bet." She pauses for a moment as takes a deep breath. "But most of all I miss you. We've known each other our whole lives, Lucas Scott, and I'm not ready to lose you yet." Tears fall down Haley's face and Karen wraps her in a loving embrace as the four of us stare at Lucas.

"I've already buried Keith…" Karen's voice is thick and she looks like she's about to break into tears at any second. "I can't bury you too." Lucas is silent for a long time as he stares at all of us before slowly nodding.

"OK." He closes his eyes almost in defeat. "OK, I'll have the surgery."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

"Hey, how come you're out here all by yourself?" I whisper into Brooke's ear when I find her standing outside the hospital alone hours later.

"I just needed to some air. You know a night sky always calms me." She leans back against me as I wrap my arms around her waist and place my hands on her steadily growing bump. "Any news on Luke?" She turns her head to look up at me and I shake my me head.

"No, not yet." I kiss her temple gently and tighten my arms around her. "But the doctor said it could be awhile." She nods silently, slowly entwining her fingers with mine. "How are you feeling? Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, Haley and Rachel practically force fed me supper." She laughs a little and I can't help but smile at the sight of her dimples. It feels like forever since I've seen them.

"Good." I kiss her temple again. I can't stop myself from constantly worrying about her. She's been so stressed during this pregnancy. It can't be good for her or the baby. "I just talked to my mom, Eli's fine. Passed out like a log."

"Good." Brooke lets out a tiny sigh of relief. "God, he's so little and he's had to deal with so much in the last few months…"

"Hey, our little boy is tough. He's a Davis and a Scott. I think he knows how to handle a little drama." I murmur into her hair and this time Brooke laughs fully, which brings another smile to my face.

"Yeah, fair enough. I…." Brooke freezes suddenly and her eyes widen. "Oh my God! Nathan did you feel that?" She grabs my hand and places it back on her stomach. "The baby just kicked, Nathan! Did you feel it?" She stares up at me with tears in her eyes.

"No, I…" I feel a tiny bump against my hand and my eyes widen so my expression mirrors Brooke's. "Oh My God… is that? Was that it? Was that the baby?" I stare at Brooke, who nods before turning to face me completely. "I…" Tears fill my eyes as I gaze down at her. "God, how much do I love you Brooke Davis." I lower my face to hers and capture her lips with mine. It's moments like this that make everything worthwhile. All of the drama, all of the heartache, all of the tears; they're all worth it to feel my baby kick inside Brooke for the first time.

"I love you Nathan Scott." She whispers against my lips before kissing me again and settling in my arms, her head against my chest.

"Guys, I'm sorry to interrupt…." We look up to find Jake standing a few feet from us. "Karen asked me to come get you. Luke's out of surgery."

**A/N - OK, so I'm actually really, really proud of this chapter! So I hope you all like it. I hope you like the direction I've taken the story. I'm hoping that it wasn't expected, at least that's what I was going for. Anyway, please review. I can't wait to hear what you think. Good, bad, ugly, whatever, I want to hear it all!**

**XOXO**


	25. This Is Really Happening

**A/N - Hey Guys! I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I just haven't had any inspiration at all. It took me forever to finish this chapter. Anyway, I hope you like. Please review! Thoughts, suggestions, whatever! Thanks. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Karen…" I lay my hand on the older woman's shoulder.

"Brooke, hi." She smiles at me tiredly as I take a seat next to her and my eyes land on Lucas' sleeping form.

"Still no change?" I ask slowly, looking back at the woman who's been more of a mother to me than my own, and Karen shakes her head slowly. She looks back at Lucas for a moment before taking a breath and looking back at me. "Well, I mean, he had brain surgery. That's got to take a lot to bounce back from. He just needs time to recover. He'll wake up when he's ready." I reach for her hand, trying to comfort her as much as possible but I know there's nothing that I can say that will make this OK for her. If it was Eli in that bed right now, there's nothing anyone could say to me that would make me feel better.

"I know." Karen finally gives me a real smile and I feel a little bit relieved. "Thank you being here Brooke. After everything that happened between you and Lucas… just thank you, it means a lot that you and Nathan are here for him now."

"There's no need to thank me." I shrug a little. "No matter what has happened, Lucas is still family. You may not always like your family, but they're still your family, right? Haley wasn't too fond of me when I had my accident but she was by my side every minute. I could never turn my back on Luke right now and neither could Nathan."

"Still, I appreciate it and I know it'll mean a lot to Lucas when he wakes up." She glances at her sleeping son again before looking back at me. "Brooke, do you know if Peyton's OK? She hasn't been to visit him once and… I'm just worried about her. She's gone through a lot lately and…" I stare at Karen for a moment, shocked into silence. Peyton hasn't been to visit Luke? Not even once? That doesn't sound like the Peyton Sawyer I know.

"I don't know Karen, I haven't really seen her much in the last few days." Karen nods silently and turns back to Lucas, standing up to fix his blanket over him, almost like she's tucking him in. I stare at her for a moment, wondering how long it's been since she's been home? Has she left the hospital once in the 4 days that Luke's been unconscious? Someone how I doubt it. I should call Nathan and force her to go home "Have you eaten anything, Karen? Are you hungry, I could get you something to eat.."

"I'm fine, Brooke, but thank you." She gives me a smile and squeezes my hand before sitting back down.

****

"Alright, get up, get your jacket." I arrive at Peyton's house a few hours later after leaving Karen at the hospital with Nathan. Jake and Peyton both look at me in confusion and I roll my eyes. "Chop, chop! I don't have all day. I'm not getting any younger or smaller…" I point to my ever growing stomach before grabbing coat for the hook and toss it at her. "Move your ass, Sawyer!"

"Um, care to tell me where we're going?" Peyton asks as she slowly stands and turns to look at me.

"The hospital." She looks like she's about to protest but I hold up one hand to stop her. "You haven't been there once since the operation, Peyton. Karen's worried about you. Besides, Lucas is going to wake up and when he does, he's going to need his friends."

"Brooke, I don't know if Luke and I…" Peyton shakes her head slowly, glancing at Jake.

"Peyton, I know." My expression softens a little as I look at her. "I know that you and Luke have a lot of stuff to work out when he wakes up. We all do. I don't know if it's possible for all of us to come back from what's happened but do you really want him to wake up and you not be there because there's definitely no coming back from that." I pause for a moment. "Stop trying to come up with excuses and get your purse. We're going." I give her a look that is usually reserved for Eli when he's throwing a tantrum and she finally concedes and excuses herself. I wait until she's out of the room before turning to Jake. "You shouldn't have let her hide, Jake."

"I know." Jake nods, crossing the room to stand in front of me. "I didn't want to force her into anything, Brooke. And I just…I mean, being around her again, spending time with her, I just…" He trails off and glances toward the kitchen door.

"I know." I reach for his hand and give him a smile. "I've been in your shoes more times than I care to admit. But you wouldn't be the Jake Jageiski that I know and love if you turned your back on Lucas right now. You wouldn't be the man that I trusted with Eli." I pause for a moment and the two of us look at each other. "Luke is your friend; for a long time he was your best friend and I know how you feel about Peyton and she's gonna need you even more now." Jake is quiet for a moment before nodding. "Get you coat. Karen and Nathan are at the hospital. Haley and Rachel are going to meet us there."

"OK." Jake smiles down at me before pulling me into a hug. "You're a good friend." He pulls away and kisses my forehead. "I think we're all pretty lucky to have you in our lives."

"I don't know about that." I shake my head with a shrug. "A good friend would have realized that something was wrong with Lucas. A good friend wouldn't have assumed the worst and cut him off."

"You know that's not true, Brooke." Jake looks at me seriously. "We all believed the worst. This wasn't first time Lucas had flip flopped between you and Peyton. There was justification…"

"There's no justification!" I shake my head. "He was sick and I basically told him that he was dead to me? What kind of friend does that?"

"Now can you understand why I couldn't see him?" We both look up to find Peyton standing in the kitchen door, her jacket on and purse in her hand. "He was your friend, Brooke, but he was the person I loved. He was the person I was supposed to spend my life with and I told him that I hated him and that I wished I had never met him. He was sick and I abandoned him Brooke."

"Stop!" Jake's deep voice echoes through the house. "Both of you stop it! You didn't know he was sick! No one knew! Lucas didn't even know, so how could you?"

"I should have known." Peyton shakes her head. "I was with him every day for the last 5 years. I should have known that something was wrong and I didn't. I was just willing to believe that he was capable of hurting not just me and Brooke, but Nathan." Peyton brushes the tears from her face.

"We're not going to get anywhere by fighting about this." I speak up and Jake and Peyton look at me. "Jake's right, we need to deal with one thing at a time, OK. We should go." I bend to pick up my purse and sharply inhale.

"Brooke, are you OK?" Jake asks when he sees the expression on my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I give him a smile and slowly straighten up. "I think this one is going to be a soccer player. He won't stop kicking."

"I still can't believe you're having another baby." Jake looks down at me with a smile and shakes his head. "I still remember the first time I saw Eli and how tiny he was, now he's this little person and you're having another one…"

"Well, this baby is gong to love his Uncle Jake just as much as Eli does…." A sharp stab in my stomach causes me to gasp and I look up at Jake with wide eyes. "Jake…" Another pain shoots through my abdomen and I double over in pain.

"Brooke…" Peyton's by my side in an instant. "Brooke, what's wrong?" She helps into a chair.

"Peyton… I don't know… I think… something's wrong…" I gasp for air. "Something's wrong…" Tears fill my eyes as I clutch my stomach. Please tell me this isn't happening. This can't be happening. "It hurts Peyton, it's hurt so much."

"Jake, get the car!" Peyton orders and Jake's out the door. "OK, Brooke, you need to stand. Can you stand up for me?" Peyton wraps her hand arm around my waist. I stare at her for a moment before nodding mutely. "Come on, you can do this. I'm right here…"

"Peyton, I'm scared." My voice is barely a whisper as Peyton slowly helps me to my feet "I…" I'm cut off with another stab of pain to my abdomen and I let out a strangled cry. Please let this be another nightmare. Please let me wake up now because I can not have this baby yet. It's too soon.

"The car's outside…" Jake appears in the door. His eyes widen and he freezes for a moment before striding across the room. "Brooke, it's OK, I've got you." He wraps his arms around me and I lean against him gratefully. "Shh… it's OK…" A few moments later he and Peyton help me to the car and Peyton climbs in next to me as Jake rushes to the driver's seat.

"Nathan…" I grip Peyton's hand as tears spill from my eyes. "It hurts so much, Peyton. I want Nathan…"

"Don't worry honey, we'll call him." She brushes the hair from my face.

"Oh God…." My eyes widen suddenly.

"It's OK, we're almost there…" Peyton begins but I shake my head. This can't be happening. This just can't be happening.

"No… Peyton…" We both look down. I barely hear Peyton gasp as my worst fears become realized.

"Jake, drive faster." Peyton's voice is tight but I'm not even listening. There's no denying this anymore. There's no denying the red stain between my legs. This is really happening. I'm losing the baby.


	26. We're Not Supposed To Be Here

**Brooke's POV**

"Jake, you have to drive faster." I can hear Peyton's voice but the words don't really register. I close my eyes and lean against Peyton as she tightens her arms around me. The pain is almost unbearable but all I can do is wrap my arms around my stomach and pray.

"Please, baby…" My voice cracks and another wave of pain courses through my body. "Please hang on. Your daddy and I already love you so much so you need to hold on. Oh God, please….. Ahhhhhhh!" The pain is so intense this time that I actually see stars.

"It's OK, we're here Brooke. We're going to get you some help." Peyton whispers into my hair as the car comes to a stop and I hear Jake say something about getting a doctor before jumping from the car. A few moments later the door opens there's people slowly pulling me from the car.

"I've got a Caucasian female, approximately 6 months pregnant, severe haemorrhaging. Get her inside and page obstetrics!" I hear a man's voice as I'm wheeled into the hospital.

"Jake, Peyton…." My vision is blurred with tears and all I can see are shapes of people and lights. "Peyton, Jake?"

"I'm right here, Brooke." Jake's suddenly by my side, holding my hand. The doctor's move around me, hooking all sorts of machines to me.

"Nathan, you have to find Nathan." My voice cracks as I look up at him. "I'm scared, Jake, I need Nathan."

"Shh, it's OK, he's up in Luke's room remember. Peyton's gone to get him right now. He'll be here soon. You just need to stay strong, OK. Stay strong for that baby. He needs you to be strong." Jake tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead gently.

"Sir, we need you to step outside, please." A nurse appears, gently pulling Jake away from me.

"No, Jake, please don't go. Please, I…..Oh God!" I double over in pain again.

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

**Nathan's POV**

"Hey Nathan." I look up at the sound of Haley's voice to find her and Rachel standing in the door to Luke's hospital room. "He still hasn't woken up?"

"Hey Hales, Rach." I give her a small smile before looking back at my brother. "No, the doctor's are hoping soon though."

"Where's Brooke?" Rachel asks as she takes a seat next to me and Haley takes the one on the other side of the bed.

"Peyton's." I say after a moment. "I guess, she hasn't been to see Luke, so Brooke went slap some sense into her. They should be here soon."

"Well, this is hard time for everyone, I'm sure Peyton…." Haley's words are cut off by Peyton appearing in the doorway, out of breath.

"Peyton." I jump to my feet when I see her. I don't like this. I don't like the look on her face. I know that look. Karen had that look when she told me about the accident. "Peyton, what…."

"Nathan, you need to come." Peyton's voice cracks as tears fill her eyes. "It's Brooke… and the baby…. She needs you." It feels like the air has been sucked out the room as I stare at the blonde in front of me. This can't be happening again. I can't go through this again.

"Brooke? What happened to her?" Haley's voice is shaking and I slowly look at her. She looks like she's about to throw up. I can relate.

"Where is she?" I don't even give Peyton a chance to answer Haley's question. I don't care what happened to her right now, I just need to get to her.

"She's in the ER. Jake's with her. I don't know what's wrong, but you need to get down there…." Peyton breaks off as a sob gets caught in her throat. The room starts to spin and I can feel bile rise in my throat. Why is the happening? How much more do Brooke and I have to go through?

"Oh my God!" Rachel gasps next to me and I spin around, eyes flashing.

"She's going to be fine, Rachel. Do you hear me?" I take her shoulders and resist the urge to shake her. I don't really know why I'm having this reaction, but I can't even let myself think that she'll be anything but fine.

"No…" Rachel pulls her eyes up to mine slowly. "Lucas, he's waking up." Haley, Peyton and I spin toward the bed and stare at my brother slowly start to come around and I stood frozen staring.

"Go!" Peyton's voice snaps me out of my trance and I look at her. "Just go. Be with Brooke. I'll stay with Luke until Karen gets back. She needs you, Nate. She scared, she's in pain and all she wants is you."

"ER, right? She's in the ER?" Peyton nods and suddenly I'm running down the hospital corridor. I hit the elevator button as Haley and Rachel catch up with me. "Why is this taking so long? Damn it!" I glance around for second before starting toward the stairwell.

"Nathan, it'll take you longer to get down by foot than it will to wait for this elevator." Rachel grabs my arm and I turn to look at her. When the hell did Rachel Gatina become the voice of reason? She pulls her hand away from me and I stare at it for a second when I see it shaking.

"She'll be OK." Haley reaches for her shaking hand and Rachel forces a tight smile as she nods. "She's Brooke. She'll be OK." The elevator finally arrives and the three of us ride to the ground floor in silence. I bolt from the box as soon as the doors open. This horrible sense of deja vu washes over me when I step into the ER. How can I be back here again? How can _she_ be back here again?

"Nate!" I look up to see Jake making his way towards me.

"Where is she? Is she OK? What about the baby?" The words tumble from my mouth as Jake looks at me with a pained expression and I feel a stab in my chest. It's bad. I can tell from his face that it's bad. Rachel and Haley appear at my side but I can't even look at them. If I look at them I know I'll crack.

"I don't know." He says finally. "The doctor's are with her. They made me leave. I…." He glances over his shoulder before looking back at me. "I don't know."

"This can't be happening again." I sink into a chair and drop my head into my hands. "Why is this happening to us again? This wasn't supposed to happen to us again. Brooke's already been through so much. She shouldn't have to go through this again." I shake my head miserably. "This is my fault. I was selfish. I fell in love with her and I didn't care about anyone else and this is my punishment for that. This is my fault now I'm gonna lose her. I'm gonna lose her and I'm gonna lose the baby and there's not a damn thing that I can do about it."

"Nathan Scott, don't you dare say that! This isn't your fault. God isn't punishing you. Brooke is going to be fine. I know she will." Haley's voice is full of compassion as she speaks and I look up at her. "So, don't you dare give on her or that baby. Brooke is a fighter. She beat the odds the last time and she'll beat them this time!"

"I'm just so scared, Hales." I shake my head with a heavy sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "I just… I just don't know if I can do this again. I don't know if I can handle it. I can't… she shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be in a hospital bed fighting for her life again; fighting for our baby's life again. We should be home with our son, decorating the nursery and picking out names. Our life is not supposed to be like this."

"I know. I know." Haley reaches for my hand, holding it tightly in hers. "You and Brooke don't deserve this but she will be OK, I believe that. She'll be OK. Your baby will OK and the two of you will get to have your perfect life together with Eli and the baby."

"Thank you Haley." I slowly look at her, tears blurring my vision a little. "Thank you being here."

"Who's here for Brooke Davis?" We all look up to see a doctor in scrubs standing just inside the door and the four of us jump to our feet.

"She's my fiancé. How is she? How's the baby." It's taking everything in me not to push passed the little doctor in front of me and find her myself but I force myself to stay where I am. Me flying off the deep end is not going to help the situation.

"Brooke lost a lot of blood and the baby is in distress." His words hit me and I feel like I've been punched in the gut.

"What does that mean?" Jake's voice sounds strangely calm and I can't help but wonder how he can be so calm right now when I feel like I'm about to fall apart at the seams.

"She's stable for the moment but we're prepping her for surgery right now. A specialist is being flown from LA, she should be here within the hour. She's the best there is in her field and she is best that chance that Brooke and your baby have. But we do need your consent to…"

"Do it." I interrupt him with a wave of the hand. "Do whatever you have to. Just save them."

**OTHOTHOTHOTH**

**Lucas' Hospital Room**

"So, you want to tell me what's going on, Peyton?" Lucas asks after the last of the doctors have left his room and his mother has gone fill out some paperwork and he finds himself alone with Peyton for the first time since he woke up.

"I, ugh…" Peyton stammers a little as she glances toward the door. "How do you feel?"

"OK. A bit of a headache, but I guess that's to be expected when somebody cuts your head open right?" He smiles but Peyton continues to stare at him. "Listen, Peyton, I know that I did some really horrible things before, but you need to know that it wasn't me. I didn't mean to hurt you like that, I just…"

"I know." Peyton nods, swallowing the lump in her throat. God, why did she volunteer for this. He just woke up from brain surgery and now she has to tell him that Brooke and her baby could be dying? Damn it!

"I need to tell you this before anyone else comes…" Lucas sighs a little and closes his eyes for a second before opening them and looking at the blonde standing at the end of his bed. "The operation was a success Peyton. They got all of the tumour, but removing it didn't have the same effect everyone thought it would…"

"Your feelings for Brooke." Peyton's voice is low as she moves to the side of the bed to sit on the edge. "You still love her, don't you?"

"Turns out my feelings weren't because of the tumour." Lucas says slowly and Peyton blinks back tears as she nods. "I think that deep down, I always knew that I still loved her but I also know that she and I are done. She loves Nathan and they're good together. So you don't need to worry, I'm not going to keep chasing her or anything like that. I have a lot of making up to do to everyone, especially Nathan and Brooke. I just… well, after everything that you and I have been through together, I thought that you should hear the truth from me."

"It's OK." Peyton reaches for his hand and the two stare at each other for a long moment. "You know, since Jake has been back in town…. I don't know I've been thinking. I mean, he dropped his whole life because I needed him and it's not the first time he's done that. He loves me unconditionally and I think that I may still love him too, or at least I think I could fall in love with him again." She looks at Luke for a moment before taking his hand in hers. "I think that I convinced myself that you and I were destined because it was the only way I could sleep at night. We had to be destined; we had to work because if not then I betrayed Brooke and I broke Jake's heart and it would have been no reason." Peyton pauses for a moment. "I don't know, I think Jake and I might actually have a shot this time." She shrugs a little.

"I'm glad, Peyton." He smiles. "I may have missed my chance with Brooke but that doesn't mean you and Jake have to miss yours. You deserve to be happy and I hope Jake can be the person who makes you happy.

"Thanks." Peyton blinks back tears again and takes a deep breath, slowly letting it out as she stares at the ceiling for a second. "Luke, I don't know if I should even tell you this but there's something you need to know…" She quickly brushes the tears from her eyes. "Brooke went into early labour. She started bleeding. She's in the ER right now. That's where Nathan, Haley, Rachel and Jake are. The baby might not make it."

"What?" Karen's voice causes both of them to jump and they look to see her standing in the doorway. "Brooke went into labour? But it's so early. Is she OK?"

"I don't know." Peyton stands slowly, turning to face the older woman. "There was so much blood, Karen…." Her voice cracks a little.

"You need to check on her for me." Lucas says suddenly and the two women turn to him. "Look, I can't go to her. I need you to check on her for me. I need you find out if she's OK; if my niece or nephew is OK."

" He's right Peyton, you should go find out how she is." Karen says. "You can bring us back a report and I'll stay here with Lucas."

"Mom, no." Lucas shakes his head slowly. "Brooke doesn't have any family. We are her family. She looks at you and sees her mother. She's going to need you more than I do. Nathan is going to need your strength. Go, please go and take care of them right now. I'll be fine."

**OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH**

**Nathan's POV**

It's been hours. Hours and still nothing. The specialist arrived and they rushed Brooke into surgery and it's been hours. I feel like I'm losing my mind. Why won't they just tell me what the hell is going on? I look around the room at the assembled group. Everyone is off in their own worlds. Each one us is terrified for Brooke in our own way. Each of one us loves her in a different way. Karen came down awhile ago and said that Lucas was awake and that surgery was a success. So instead of celebrating that my brother is going to be OK, I'm sitting her praying that my fiancé and child don't die.

"Nathan Scott?" I look up at the sound of my name and see a female doctor looking around the room.

"That's me." I jump to my feet and make my way across the room with the others close behind me. "How's Brooke? Is she OK? Is the baby…." The words get cut off in my throat, I can't even think them, let alone say them.

"I'm Dr. Addison Montgomery, I was called in to consult on your fiancé's case." The redheaded doctor holds out her hand to me and I absentmindedly shake it. "Brooke, seems to be out of the woods. We had a little bit of a scare but she's stable. She's in recovery right now and she's still sedated but you should be able to see her soon."

"Oh Thank God!" I let out a breath. I can hear commotion behind me, but none of it really registers. I want to collapse right here on the floor. She's OK. Thank God, she's OK. "What about the baby?" I ask, looking back at Dr. Montgomery.

"The baby is a different story…" She pauses for a moment as she looks at me and I can't help but fear the worst. She's about to tell me that the baby didn't make it. She's about to tell me our child is dead. "The baby was over 4 weeks premature, so she was very small. Her lungs weren't fully developed and she had a blockage which we did repair. She's in an incubator right now so we'll just have to wait and see how she progressed over the next little while."

"_She_? It's a girl?" Everything that she just said to me hasn't even processed yet. Right now all I can focus on is _she_.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even think, yes Mr. Scott, the baby's a girl." Dr. Montgomery nods with a smile. "You have a daughter. A small, but very beautiful, daughter."

"And they're both alive? Both of my girls are alive?" Tears fill my eyes and I drop my head for a moment as a rush of relief flows through me.

"They're not out of the woods. It's going to be a long road ahead, but, yes, both of your girls are alive." She smiles again.

"Thank you!" I shake her hand again, holding on to it tightly. "Thank you for saving them."

"It's my job, Mr. Scott. I should get back. It's probably going to be a couple of more hours before you can see them, but I'll send a nurse out as soon as it's OK." She gives me one more smile before turning and heading out of the room.

"Dr. Montgomery!" I stride across the room quickly as she turns to look at me. "The doctor who called you for the consult, I'd like his name. Calling you saved Brooke and the baby. I'd like to thank him."

"A doctor didn't request the consult, Mr. Scott." She looks at me with a peculiar expression for a moment. "You need to thank your father. He's the one that called me." She turns away and heads toward the elevator and I'm left standing rooted to the floor. Dan? Dan saved them?

**A/N - OK, so here's another chapter! I got hit with inspiration so I hope you guys like it. A special thanks to geea2. I tried your suggestion with the Leyton scene. I hope it turned out OK, because I really wanted that scene in. Anyway, hopefully the inspiration is back and I'll have more chapters up soon. Please, please, please review! :)**

XOXO


	27. She'll Never Love You Again

**A/n - OK, so here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it. Oh, and for the purposes of this story Dan never killed Keith, he's just an ass :) Please, please, please review.**

* * *

**Nathan's POV - Lucas' Hospital Room**

"Hey man." Luke looks up as I walk slowly to into his room. I'm exhausted. I am physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. I can feel Luke's eyes on me as I sink into the armchair next to the bed.

"Nate, what are you doing here?" Lucas asks, giving me a confused expression. "I thought you'd be with Brooke and the baby."

"The doctor said that it would still be a few hours before I could see them and I just had to get out of that waiting room." I let out a sigh as I run my fingers through my hair. "How are you? Are you OK?"

"I'm OK." Lucas nods slowly. "They tell me that I should be fine." We're both quiet for a moment. "So, how are they? How's Brooke? How's the baby?"

"We had a little girl." I look up at him with a tiny smile as tears fill my eyes. "I haven't seen her yet, but Dr. Montgomery said she's beautiful."

"So, she's OK?" Lucas asks, laying his book aside and turning to me fully.

"For now. Because she was premature her lungs weren't developed so she's in a incubator and Dr. Montgomery said we just have to wait and see." I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. "And Brooke made it through the surgery fine. She's in recovery." I pause for a long moment as I look at my brother. "How are you, Luke? What did the doctors say about the surgery? What happened?"

"You're wondering about Brooke, right?" Lucas asks slowly and I look at him for a second before shrugging. "It's OK, Nate. I have no illusions of me and Brooke anymore. She loves you, you love her. You guys are a family."

"So, it really was just the tumour. You don't have feelings for Brooke anymore." I breathe a sigh of relief. At least that's one less thing I need to worry about. At least I have my brother back. Lucas is quiet for a second before giving me a smile.

"I woke up and everything was completely clear." Lucas hesitates for a moment. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I'm sorry for everything that I did, everything that happened."

"It wasn't your fault Lucas. It was the tumour." I give him a quick smile and he nods slowly.

"So, tell me about my niece." He says and I fight the urge the cry again. It's the same reaction I've been having for the last hour. Every time someone mentions her, my daughter, I feel like sobbing. "What about this Dr. Montgomery? Mom says she a specialist."

"Yeah, the best there is…" I pause for a second as I look at my brother. "Dan called her, Luke. He knew about Brooke and the baby. I don't know how but he knew and he called her in."

"Dan?" Lucas stares at me in shock. "What?"

"I know. I had the same reaction." I nod slowly, sighing heavily as I run my hands through my hair again. "I don't know what I'm supposed to think. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about it." I drop my head into my hands.

"Dan's a monster, Nathan." Lucas interrupts me and I look up at him to find him watching me with a serious expression.

"I know that, Luke." I let a frustrated sigh. "I haven't forgotten who Dan Scott and every fibre of my being wants to hate him." I pause for a second and shake my head. "But how do you hate the man that saved your family?"

"I get that Nathan, I do, but this is Dan. There's always a price to pay with him." Luke and I both quiet for a moment. He's right. I know he's right. You can't trust Dan. But he saved Brooke, he saved my daughter. How do I just ignore that? "Nathan, you can be grateful to Dan, but don't trust him. There's a always an ulterior motive, just remember that."

"There was no ulterior motive." Lucas and I look up to find Dan standing in the door. I glance at Luke quickly and I can tell he's as shocked as I am. "I was just trying to save Brooke and my grandchild." The room is silent as Dan slowly approaches us. "After Brooke's first accident…" He throws a glance in Lucas' direction and I can see my brother stiffen out of the corner of my eye. "I started keeping tabs on her and the baby. I knew this was going to be a difficult pregnancy for her so I called Dr. Montgomery and I put her on retainer so that she would be available at a moment's notice should Brooke need her. I informed the hospital staff, they knew to call her when or if Brooke was ever admitted.

"Thank you." My voice is thick as I stare at the man in front of me. As crazy as it sounds, right now he actually looks like the man I used to know, my father, and not the horrible person he's become. "You may have saved their lives. I will always be grateful to you for that." I swallow hard and take a deep breath before turning back to Lucas. "I'm gonna go check on them, but I'll come back later, OK?"

"Yeah." Lucas nods and I turn back to Dan, hesitating for a second. I give him a quick nod before turning to leave.

"Nathan?" Dan's voice causes me to stop in my tracks and I slowly turn to look at him. "The baby? Was it a boy?"

"No, a girl." I say finally.

"A girl? You have a daughter?" He sounds almost surprised. "Well, I guess it's about time the we welcomed a little girl to the family." He smiles a little and I'm a silent as I look at him. I'm not used to Dan like this. "Nathan, I know that I was a horrible father to you…" he glances at Luke. "…to both of you." He pauses for a moment and lets out an almost inaudible sigh. "I realize that my word means nothing to you. I've given you both ample reasons not to trust a word I say but I hope you believe me when I tell you I'm not looking for redemption or forgiveness. I know that's not possible. I know that I'll never be apart of your life again; that I'll never be apart of Elliot's life…" I'm a little taken aback to hear him say my son's name. "I know I'll never be apart of this baby's life. But there's no angle. I just wanted the best care possible for my granddaughter and her mother." The room is completely silent as Dan stops talking and I stare at him for a long time. There's a part of me that wants to believe him; a part of me that wants to be able to share the birth of my daughter with my father; but Dan's burned me too many times. How can I trust him?

"Well, whatever your reason, thank you." I say again and throw a glance at Luke before heading out of the room.

* * *

"I'm glad you're feeling better Lucas." Dan says once Nathan has left the room. "Ill let you get your rest, son." He turns to leave.

"Don't call me son." Lucas' voice causes him to stop and turn back to the young man in the bed. "We may share DNA but that doesn't make you my father. Keith was my father. You remember Keith, the brother you treated like crap in life and then pretended to grieve when he died. You may have gotten to Nathan with your little song and dance there, but I'm not buying it Dan. I'm not buying this 'I just wanted to best for my granddaughter' crap that you're trying to sell."

"You just had very dangerous surgery Lucas, you're obviously confused." Dan says calmly, an act that only seems to infuriate Lucas more. "There's no 'song and dance' as you put. I just want the best care for my granddaughter and Brooke." Dan turns to leave again but stops. He's still for a moment before turning around again. "I was horrible to Keith, I know that, but I loved my brother and I'll never have the chance to tell him that I'm sorry because a drunk driver killed him and there are days when I wish it had been me." His eyes flash. "I have to live with that knowledge for the rest of my life." Dan eyes him. "But should you really be lecturing me on my relationship with my brother? Considering what you did to yours."

"I had a tumour," Lucas shakes his head with a scoff. "But I don't know why I'm surprised. This is classic Dan Scott, trying to deflect blame onto someone else."

"So you have no romantic feelings for Ms. Davis at all?" Dan watches him carefully and Luke's face drops. "That's what I thought. You're not very adept at hiding your emotions, Lucas. Your brother loves you and he misses you so he's going to believe you but I know differently. Because you and I, we aren't that different. You hate that she's with him. You hate that he gets her; that ge gets to build a life with her, have kids with her, share a bed with her. I know you do, because I felt the same way about your mother and Keith. But take some advice Lucas, don't make the same mistakes I did. Brooke and Nathan are happy and you've caused them enough pain. And there are going be times when you'll be tempted. They'll have a fight and she'll be angry with him and you'll be tempted to try and undermine their relationship in the hopes that you can reawaken her feelings for you. Don't." Dan shakes his head slowly. "Just don't. It's not worth it because no matter what you do, she will never leave him and she will never love you again."

* * *

**Nathan's POV**

Dan is still on my mind as I arrive back at Brooke's room to find Dr. Montgomery talking to Haley and Rachel. All thought of my father are gone when she looks up at me. God, I can't read her expression. I can't tell what's going on.

"Good news Mr. Scott." She finally smiles and a wave of relief rushes through my body. "Brooke is awake. You can see her if you'd like."

"Yes, I would very much like to." I grip her hand tightly and fight yet another urge to cry. "What about the baby? Has there been any change in the baby?"

"Not, yet, but it's still early." Dr. Montgomery gives me a reassuring smile. "It's only been a few hours Nathan. She needs time to get stronger." I close my eyes for a moment and nod. I know she's right. Logically, I know that she's right. "But I don't think there's any reason why the two of you can't go see her in the NICU." My eyes fly open and my head jerks up to look at Dr. Montgomery. "If Brooke is feeling up to it, I'd be happy to take the two to meet your daughter."

"Really?" I blink back tears and nod slowly. "That would be wonderful. Thank you Dr. Montgomery."

"Of course." She pats my arm with a soft smile. "Come on, I'm sure she's eager to see you." She gives me one more smile before turning and opening the door to Brooke's room, stepping inside. I start to follow her but glance at Haley and Rachel when they don't move.

"Are you coming?" I look from Haley to Rachel and back again.

"No." Haley shakes her head with a smile. "This moment is for you and Brooke." She glances at Rachel quickly before looking back at me. "Tell Brooke we're here and we're so happy that she's OK." Haley gives me a watery smile and blinks back tears. I nod with a smile before turning and following Dr. Montgomery. The moment I step into the room, I feel like breaking into tears. She's alive. She's alive. My beautiful Brooke is alive.

"Hi baby." My voice comes out strangled and the tears that I've been fighting finally break free when she smiles.

"Hi Nathan." Her voice comes out even more hoarse then normal but it's like music to my ears.

"You know, you've really got to stop doing this to me." I slowly sit down on the bed and reach for her hand. "Are you OK?" Brooke looks at me for a long moment before nodding.

"Yeah I feel OK. I'm fine." She looks away quickly, staring down at her lap. "What about the baby, Nathan? How's the baby? Is he…." Her bottom lip quivers as she fights back tears. She slowly lifts her head and I feel a stab in my chest at the pain and fear in her eyes.

"_She_ is fine." I lean forward and press a kiss on her forehead.

"She? We have a daughter?" Brooke stares at me with wide eyes. "But you were so sure that it was a boy." She laughs a little and I kept help but laugh too. "Nathan, we have a little girl."

"Yeah, we have a little girl." I rest my forehead against her and smile as I look into her eyes. "And Dr. Montgomery said that if you're up to it, we can see her."

"We can see her?" Brooke looks up at Dr. Montgomery. "Can we see her now? I want to see her now."

"Of course you can see her." Dr. Montgomery smiles at the both us. "But, I do need to make some things clear." She glances at me. " She was very premature and she is very tiny. But she's strong and she's holding her own for now and that's what we need to focus on. OK?" She looks at the two of us and we both nod. "OK." She smiles before reaching out to squeeze Brooke's hand reassuringly. "I'm going to get you a wheelchair, OK, and then we'll go meet your daughter."

* * *

**NICU**

"The two of you need to put these on." We stop outside the NICU and Dr. Montgomery hands me two surgical gowns, one for me and one for Brooke. "Ms. James, Ms. Gatina…" She turns away from me to look at our friends. "I'm very sorry but only the baby's parents are aloud in…"

"Of course, of course. We'll meet you back at the room." Rachel says immediately and Haley nods in agreement. They both hug Brooke and me before heading toward the elevator as I help Brooke with her gown and pull mine on.

"OK." Dr. Montgomery turns to us with a smile when we're all ready. "Shall we?" She turns, opening the door to the NICU and holds it open as I gently push Brooke into the room. We both look around, examining each baby trying to find ours. "She's right over here." She leads us toward a small incubator in the corner. "Here she is, Baby Girl Scott." I freeze when I see the tiny baby in the incubator. My heart's pounding so hard it feels like it's about to burst from my chest. I don't know what I was expecting but I don't think it was this. She's so tiny. There's a machine helping her breath and there are so may wires coming out of her little body. My little girl.

"What's wrong with her?" Brooke's the first to speak, her voice is thick tears. "I thought she was fine? You said she was fine?" She looks up at me in disbelief.

"Brooke…" Dr. Montgomery kneels down in front of her. "I know how unreal this must be for you. And I know you must be so scared for her, but she is getting stronger and she needs you to be strong for her."

"I…." Brooke shakes her head as tears fall down her cheek. "She's just so…" She breaks off for a moment, slowly reaching out to touch the glass of the incubator. "I can't…" She pulls her hand back, looking away. "Take me back to my room, please. This was a mistake, I can't."

"Brooke, honey, please…" Dr. Montgomery stands up and I take her place kneeling in front of Brooke.

"Nathan, please, I'm begging you please." She grips the front of my shirt, her eyes pleading with me. "Please, just take me back to my room."

"Brooke, I know it's hard, but she's our daughter." I wrap my arms around her and kiss her temple gently. "She needs us." I whisper into her hair. I wish I could make this better for her; better for our daughter. I wish I could just fix it all.

"Nathan, I can't." She pushes away from me, tears spilling down her face and Dr. Montgomery just watches us silently, concern etched across her features.

"But why?" I finally ask. don't understand what's bringing this on.

"Because it's my fault." Brooke finally breaks. "It's my fault that she's in here fighting for her life. I was supposed to protect her. I just had keep her safe for nine months and I couldn't do it. This is my fault. This is all my fault."


	28. That's What Matters

**Brooke's POV**

I'm a horrible mother, I know that. I could see the disbelief in Nathan's eyes when I refused to stay with the baby. He doesn't understand. How can he? I don't even understand. I know that she needs me. I know that and I want to be with her but it hurts too much to be to be near her, knowing that it's my fault she's in this condition. Nathan, Dr. Montgomery, Haley, they've all be telling me that it's not my fault but I know it is. I knew that it was a high risk pregnancy. I knew that I needed to keep my stress level low and stay calm for her. Nathan telling me to take it easy but I didn't listen. I pushed myself to the edge. I got so deep involved in Peyton and Lucas' problems and I didn't think about my baby, my daughter. It's been two days since the incident in the NICU. Nathan's been there every day. I'm pretty sure he'd sleep there if the hospital would let him. I can see it in his eyes every time he walks into my hospital room. He loves her so much and I'm terrified that he thinks I don't love her. It's not that I don't love her, because I do love her. I love her so much and it's because I love her that I can't go. I can't watch her suffer.

"Hey baby." Nathan's voice brings me out of my thoughts and I look up to see him standing in the door, concern evident in his eyes.

"Hi." I give him a weak smile before dropping my head and shame. I wish I could be stronger for him, for her, but I just don't know how.

"I have a surprise for you." The tone in his voice causes my head to shoot up. What's he talking about? Did he bring her here? The thought sends a rush of mixed emotions through me. Joy, anticipation, fear, guilt. God, I'm such a mess right now. Nathan glances into the hall and nods and a few seconds later Deb appears with Eli in her arms. I stare at my little boy for a second and my heart feels like it's about to break in my chest.

"Mama!" Eli grins and tears fill my eyes. My baby boy. I may not be able to hold my daughter but I can hold him.

"Hi baby." I hold my arms out and Deb gives him to me with a smile. "Oh, I missed you so much, buddy." I whisper into his hair and tighten my arms around him. My eyes meet Nathan's over the top his of head. He smiles before crossing the room to kiss my forehead.

"Daddy said I get to meet the baby today." Eli beams up at me and suddenly I feel like all of the air has been sucked out of the room. "Are you going to see the baby with us?" My face falls. I look up at Nathan in disbelief before turning back to Eli.

"No baby, I think this is just a visit for you and Daddy." My voice cracks a little and I will myself not to cry. I can't believe Nathan would do this to me. I take a deep breath before looking up at Deb. "Deb, would you mind taking him outside so I can speak with Nathan?"

"Of course." She lifts Eli out of my arms. "It's good to see you, Brooke. I'm glad you're OK."

"Thanks." I force a smile before looking at Eli. "OK, buddy. Be good for Grandma Deb and I'll see you soon."

"OK." He nods, completely oblivious to the tension, Thank God. "I love you Mama." He blows me a kiss and I blink back tears before blowing him one back.

"Brooke." Nathan begins as Deb makes her way out of the room but I shake my head and wait until the door is securely shut before glaring up at him.

"How could you do that?!" My voice echoes in the tiny room and Nathan actually takes a step back, shocked. "How could you do that to me?" Tears spill down my cheeks. "How could you use Eli to try and guilt me?" I swipe at my face and Nathan reaches for me. "Don't touch me." I flinch away from him. "I can't believe you would do this to me. I can't believe you would use our **son** like that." I feel like I'm staring at a stranger. Is he trying to torture me? Doesn't he get that I already feel like a piece of crap?

"Brooke, I didn't. I swear." Nathan reaches for me again but I jerk away and he sighs heavily. His face contorts in sadness and all I want to do is apologize.

"Just leave, Nathan." I turn away from him as the guilt starts to swirl in my stomach. "Please, just go."

"Brooke, I'm sorry." His voice is thick and I slowly look at him to find him staring at him with tears in his eyes. "I just wanted…"

"Please leave." I tell him again, although this time my voice has a lot less conviction. What the hell is wrong with me?

* * *

It takes me almost 20 minutes to talk myself into following Nathan and another 10 to actually force myself out of the room. I don't know why this is so hard for me. I'm her mother, I shouldn't have to convince myself to see her. Her. God, she doesn't even have a name yet. Nathan's been asking me what we should name her and I can't answer him because the truth is I'm afraid to name her. I'm afraid that it will make her even more real to me and it will only hurt worse when we lose her. The thought stops me dead in my tracks and I suddenly feel light headed. I can't believe I actually had that thought. It sends a rush of pain through me - actual physical pain. I try to compose myself and look up to find that I've reached the NICU. I stare through the glass, my heart's pounding in my chest. I can see Nathan in the corner, sitting next to the incubator. Eli isn't with him. Deb must have taken home. Tears spring to my eyes again as I watch Nathan's lips move almost invisibly and I can almost hear his voice in my head, whispering words of love and encouragement to our daughter. The tears I've been fighting finally break free when Nathan kisses two fingers and gently reaches into the touch our daughter's tiny hand.

"Ms. Davis?" I jump at the sound of my name and quickly brush the tears from my face and turn to look at the nurse standing next to me. "It's good to see you here." She gives me a kind smile, which only serves to make me feel more guilty. "Are you going in? Would you like me to help you?" She reaches for a gown and looks at me expectantly. Suddenly I feel like I'm having a panic attack.

"Ugh… no…" I shake my head quickly. "No, thank you." I glance back at Nathan, who still hasn't seen me and is still talking to the baby. Guilt surges through me again. "I… I have to go." I leave the poor nurse staring out of me as I rush away as fast away my still sore body will allow.

* * *

"Hi Broody." Lucas looks up and smiles when he sees me standing in the door to his room. His smile immediately vanishes when he sees the expression on my face.

"Hey, not-so-Cheery." He frowns a little as I slowly make my way across the room. "Brooke, what's going on? Are you OK?" He watches me with concerned eyes and I feel a stab in my chest. Nathan has those eyes, so does Eli and I can't help but wonder if my little girl does too.

"How are you?" I ask, desperate to get the conversation away from me. "Haley told me the surgery went OK." I slowly lower myself into the chair next to Lucas' bed.

"Yeah, the surgery was fine. I should be able to go home soon." He pauses for a moment and I can tell he's debating with himself over what to say to me. After all these years, I can read Lucas Scott pretty well. "Brooke…" He says finally. "It's not like I mind the company, but what are you doing up here with me instead of downstairs with Nathan and your daughter."

"I…" I falter for a second. How do I explain this without sounding like the worst human being on the planet. "I just needed to break and I haven't seen you since you woke up." So of course I take the easy way out. I disgust myself. I might as well change my name to Victoria.

"Fair enough." Lucas flashes me a smile and I feel even worse. "So, tell me about my niece. I'll bet she's just a mini-Brooke Davis."

"I…" The words get caught in my throat and I burst into tears, unable to hold them back for even a second.

"Brooke…" Lucas moves slowly to the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around me and I sob into his shoulder. "What's wrong? Is she not OK? No one said anything to me, Brooke, I'm sorry. If I had known…"

"I don't know." I mumble into his shirt before looking up at him miserably. "I don't know how she is. I've only seen her once. I just can't go in there. She's so tiny and she has all these tubes going into her and I just can't. The thought makes me want to vomit because it's all my fault." I drop my head in shame and I hear Lucas sigh before lifting my chin and forcing me to look at him.

"This was not your fault, Pretty Girl." He wipes my eyes. "You can not blame yourself because if we're placing blame than the buck stops with me. I caused that car accident, Brooke, not you."

"No." I shake my head firmly. "You were sick Lucas. You weren't yourself." I shake my head again. "I knew better. Nathan kept telling me to take it easy and I never listened. I did this to her. It was my job to keep her safe and I didn't do that." I take a shaky breath and slowly let it out. "And now I'm failing her again." Lucas rubs my back gently and I let out a sigh. I don't deserve his compassion or sympathy. I've practically abandoned my family. My daughter is struggling just to live and I can't bring myself to be with her. "Nathan's trying to be strong…" I break off as another sob rises in my throat. "But I know he's scared and he should be able to lean on me. We should be leaning on each other and instead I'm pushing him away." I sniffle and my breath comes out ragged as I try to calm myself down. "He probably hates me right now." Lucas' silence causes me to look up and I find him watching me with a peculiar expression. He opens his mouth to say something but immediately closes it again. "Luke…" My voice comes out strangled and I'm sure that I'm about to start crying again.

"Nathan, does not hate you." He says finally. His voice is soft and comforting. "He couldn't hate you if he tried." He brushes my hair from my face. "I'm sure he's terrified, for the baby, for you, but I know he doesn't hate you." He pauses for a moment. "You know you can't stay up here, right?" My head shoots up and I stare at him with wide eyes. "Hey, don't look at me like that. If I thought that you were here just because you wanted to see me, I'd be more than happy to sit in this room with you all day. But I'm not going to let you use me as you excuse to keeping hiding."

"Luke, I can't…" My voice is shaking, almost desperate. "I just can't."

"Yes, you can." He gives me a reassuring smile. "You're Brooke Davis. You're the strongest person I know. You can do this. I'll come with you. The doctors keep telling me to walk around more so I'll walk down with you." I start to protest but Lucas simply shakes his head. "No, Brooke, you have to do this. She's your daughter. She needs you. She needs her mother and you'll never forgive yourself if something does happen to her and you weren't there." He gives me a knowing look and I finally concede.

"OK." I nod, my voice barely above a whisper. "OK."

* * *

We reach the NICU much to quickly for my liking and pause outside the door. Nathan's still there. I don't think he's moved at all. I look down at my hands to find them shaking. I don't know what to say to him. There's nothing that I can say that will ever justify they way I've been acting.

"You'll be fine." Lucas gives me an encouraging smile and he helps me put on the pink gown. "Nathan loves you." I hesitate for a second before nodding. I take a deep breath and reach my still shaking hand toward the door. My legs feel like they're about to buckle underneath me as I make my way towards Nathan.

"Hi." My voice cracks a little as I say his name and Nathan spins around to look at me. "I'm sorry." Tears spill down my cheeks for the hundredth time that day and Nathan immediately envelops me in his arms, cradling my head against his chest. "I'm so sorry." I cry into his shirt. He runs his fingers gently through my hair and presses a gentle kiss on my head.

"It's OK." He pulls away to look down at me, his blue eyes tender and full of love. "It's OK. You're here now. That's what matters." He brushes his lips over my softly. "Come here." He wraps his arm around my waist, drawing me to his side. "Come look at our little girl."

* * *

"What are you doing out here?" Lucas looks up at the sound of Haley's voice and smiles when he sees his oldest friend. "Should you be out of bed?" She eyes him with concern but he waves it off.

"I'm fine. It's good for me to be up and walking around. Plus…" He motions to the window and Haley looks over to see Nathan pull Brooke into his arms.

"She's here!" Haley gasps, relief evident in her voice. "Oh, Thank God!" Tears fill her eyes as she watches the scene unfold before her and she glances up at Lucas to see pain flash across her broody friend's face. "You did a good thing here, you know that right?" Her voice is soft and a little sad and Lucas looks down at her. "It's pretty obvious that you still love her, Luke, so I know it's gotta be hard to see her with Nathan."

"How did you get over it so easily, Hales?" Luke looks back at the couple through the glass and sighs.

"It wasn't easy. It hurt for a long time and there are some days where it feels like I'm not over it." Haley shrugs. ""Not completely, anyway. There are times when I look at them together and I think that should have been my life and it hurts." She pauses for a second. "But the thought of not having them in my life hurts more." She gives him a small smile. "They're meant to be together. I'm sure of that, but it doesn't mean that I don't have moments where I wonder what could have been." Haley links her arms through Luke's and rests her head on his shoulder. "The truth is, I wouldn't change a single second that I spent with Nathan, good and bad. And in a really messed up way, everything that's happened has made my friendship with Brooke stronger. If Brooke and I can get through this, we can get through anything." Haley smiles again. "And I know that Nathan loved me. Maybe we weren't meant to be together forever but I know he loved me, just like I loved him. Part of me will always love him." She pauses for a moment to look up at Lucas. "And part of Brooke will always love you."

"No." Lucas shakes his head, continuing to stare through the glass at his brother and ex-girlfriend. "Brooke doesn't love me anymore."

"You were Brooke's first love, Luke." Haley nudges him with her shoulder. "Believe me, a girl never forgets her first love."

"You think?" He looks down at her slowly and she nods.

"I'm sure of it. And I promise it will get easier." She reaches for his hand, entwining their fingers together. "Just remember, you can always come to me. We'll get through it together."

* * *

**Brooke's POV**

My heart's pounding in my chest as I slowly approach the incubator and gaze down at the tiny being inside.

"Is she OK?" I look up at Nathan.

"Dr. Montgomery says she's getting stronger every day." He kisses my temple gently. "I think she's going to just get stronger now that her Mama's here."

"Hi sweetheart." I reach out and touch the glass gently. "Hi my baby girl." I swallow a sob and lean back against Nathan's chest as he wraps his arms around my waist.

"Brooke!" We turn to find Dr. Montgomery smiling behind us. "I'm glad that you decided to come." She squeezes my hand.

"How's she doing today?" Nathan asks and my heart starts to race again but I'm immediately calmed by the smile on her face.

"She's doing very well." She checks the baby's monitors for a second before looking back at us. "In fact, would you like to hold your daughter?"

"What?" My face drops and I look up at Nathan to find him wearing a similar expression.

"I think it would do her some good to feel some human contact." She pauses for a moment before smiling. "Have a seat." She nods towards the chair. "I'll get her."

"Sit." Nathan murmurs in my ear and I look up at him.

"No, Nathan, you should. You've been here every day." I shake my head. "It should be you."

"You're her mother. You should be the first person to hold her." He kisses my lips and pulls away with a smile. "It's OK, Brooke. Since the moment you told me you were pregnant I've been dreaming about this moment, seeing you holding our baby for the first time." He kisses my forehead gently and I stare up at him for a long moment.

"OK." I nod and hesitate for a second before sitting down and watch Dr. Montgomery gently unhook her from the various machines and cradle her, turning to look at me.

"Here she is." She smiles, slowly handing the baby to me and I can't stop myself from crying as I cradle my daughter in my arms and stare down at her.

"Hi my sweet baby girl." I gently brush my fingers over her cheek. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here but I love you little girl. I hope you know that." I place a soft kiss on her forehead. "Nathan, she's so beautiful." I look up at him and he smiles back at me, his eyes sparkling with tears. He kneesl down next to the chair, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"She is beautiful, just like her mother." He whispers into my hair before kissing my temple. I lean my head against his as the two of stare down at the tiny bundle in my arms. How did I stay away from her for so long?

"Have you talked about a name?" Dr. Montgomery asks quietly and I look up her for a second before looking back down.

"What do you think?" Nathan leans closer to me and I turn my head to meet his gaze. "Anything come to mind?" I stare into his eyes for a long moment before turning back to my daughter. The room is quiet.

"Madison. Her name is Madison." I say finally, unable to pull my gaze away from her. "Madison Haley Scott."

**A/N - OK, so here's another chapter. I didn't want to keep Brooke away from Nathan and the baby for too long. I hope you liked it. Please, please, please review! I love getting them. **


	29. One Month Later

**A/N - Wow, you guys, I am sooooo sorry! I can't believe it's been so long since my last update. Gosh, I hope I still have readers. This chapter isn't very long and it's probably not the best but I really wanted to get something up. I also didn't proof read so there's probably a ton of errors - please ignore them. Anyway, please review. I hope you like it. And I promise it won't be months before my next update!**

**Nathan's POV - 1 month later**

"Nate, have you seen the purple monkey I bought for Maddie? I want her to have it on her first day home." I look up from the book I'm reading to Eli and can't help but smile as I watch Brooke dig though the piles of stuff that is spread around the living room.

She's nervous. I'm sure of that and I think that she's also still feeling guilty about what happened right after Maddie was born. Maddie. The thought of my daughter brings another smile to my face. It's taken over a month and we've had some scares but she's finally strong enough to come home. And today's the day. Our daughter's coming home and Brooke and I are finally going to get to have the life we always should have had.

"Daddy, why is Mama acting so strange?" I look down at Eli and find him watching his mother with a confused expression and I almost burst out laughing right there.

"Your Mama's acting strange because she is strange Eli." Rachel's voice carries from the kitchen and a moment later she appears in the kitchen door.

"Hey! I am not strange!" Brooke looks up with a pout and I can't help but wonder if Maddie will have that pout too. I hope she does. I hope she is an exact replica of Brooke. Suddenly my mind flashes to Brooke in high school and all of the disgusting things _I_ thought about doing to her in high school (and still think about doing to her if I'm being honest). Forget it. I don't want Madison to look anything like Brooke because if she does I'll probably die young from worry or I'll go to jail for killing some little shit head for looking at her the wrong way.

"Nathan!" Brooke's voice pulls me back to reality and I look up to see my fiancé glaring at me, arms crossed in defiance.

"Aunt Rachel is just joking pal." I say quickly, trying to avoid the wrath of Brooke Davis. "Seriously, Rach?" I shake my head at the redhead standing behind me.

"What? It's not like I'm wrong." Rachel shrugs, ruffling Eli's hair before crossing the room to stop Brooke, who has resumed her frantic searching. "OK, Davis! Stop!" Rachel grabs her shoulders. "You and Nathan have to go get my niece."

"But Maddie's purple monkey…" Brooke looks around and for a second it looks like she's about to burst into tears.

"Rachel and Eli will find it while we're gone." I quickly climb to my feet and cross the room, wrapping my arm around Brooke's shoulder, pulling her to my side. "We do need to get going babe." I press a kiss on her forehead and Brooke relaxes against me for a second before nodding.

"OK." She looks up with a smile and heads upstairs to get her things. I wait until she's out of sight before turning back to Rachel.

"Seriously, Rachel, find that monkey by the time we get home."

* * *

"Nathan, Brooke. It's great to see you." Addison smiles as Brooke and I approach the nursery after we've filled out the necessary paperwork and she immediately wraps Brooke in a hug. She stopped being Dr. Montgomery awhile ago. "I know you must be excited. Let's go get that little girl for you to take home." She smiles again before turning and leading us into the nursery. I feel Brooke slip her hand into mine and I squeeze it reassuringly as we follow Addison.

"Hi Maddie." Brooke lets go of my hand and leans over to coo to our daughter. "Hi my little girl. You get to come home today." I watch as Brooke gently cradles Madison and turns to me with tears in her eyes. "Nathan, we get to take her home."

"I know, baby." I feel my chest tighten as I look at them and softly brush my lips over Madison's forehead before kissing Brooke's temple. "Let's get out of here." Brooke nods silently, never taking her eyes off of Madison and I look up at Addison. "Addison, is there anything…."

"No." Addison shakes her head, still smiling. "You take that little one home."

"I don't know how to thank you, Addison." Brooke finally pulls her eyes away from Maddie. "It doesn't seem like a strong enough word."

"There's no need to thank me Brooke." Addison guides us from the room and walks us to the car. I gently take Madison from Brooke and place her securely in her car seat. "You have my number in LA if you need anything. Do not hesitate to call."

"It's too bad you have to go so soon." I turn back to the two women standing on the sidewalk and Brooke nods immediately.

"I know but I have a practice that I have to get back to." Addison smiles. "You make sure you keep me updated on her."

"We will." Brooke blinks back tears as she hugs the redheaded doctor again. "Thank you again Addison." She pulls away brushing the tears from her face as she climbs into the car.

"Addison…" I hesitate for a second as I stare at the woman who saved Brooke and Madison. "Brooke was right, thank you isn't enough. You saved them…" I glance over my shoulder at Brooke. "I don't what I would have done if I had lost them…"

"But you didn't." Addison squeezes my hand reassuringly. "They're here. They're safe, they're going to be fine. You just take care of them OK?"

"I will." I nod and Addison gives me a final nod before hugging me tightly.

"Call me if you need anything Nathan." She waves to Brooke before disappearing into the hospital and I immediately race around to the driver side and climb into the car.

"Let's go home, Nate." Brooke leans back against the seat and smiles at me before glancing back at Madison.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." I reach for her hand and kiss it before starting the car.

* * *

"Mama, Daddy!" Eli comes running out of the house the moment we pull into the drive way with Rachel close behind him.

"Woah, buddy, calm down!" Rachel scoops him up. "Sorry, guys." She gives Brooke and me a sheepish smile. "He's a quick little bugger."

"What's a bugger?" Eli looks up at Rachel as Brooke and I climb out of the car.

"You're a bugger." Rachel pokes him gently in the stomach and he laughs.

"Rachel, will you please stop calling our son a bugger." Brooke shakes her head as she opens the back door to get Madison. "Eli, baby, you want to see your little sister." Brooke gently lifts Maddie into her arms as I gather the bags from the trunk. Rachel brings Eli closer and I watch as he looks down at his little sister.

"Hi Maddie, I'm really glad you're finally home." He reaches out and touches her cheek and both Brooke and Rachel look like they're about to cry. Christ, I feel like I'm about to cry. My family is finally home together where they belong. "Me and Aunt Rae found your purple monkey." For the first time I notice the elusive purple monkey dangling from Eli's other hand.

"Come on, let's get Madison inside." I easily lift Eli out of Rachel's arms and the red head kisses his head before turning to gaze down at Madison and lead the way into the house.

"Mama can I hold Maddie?" Eli struggles out of my arms as soon as we're inside and runs to stand next to Brooke, who has taken a seat on the couch.

"Sweetie, I think you're still a bit too little." Brooke shakes her head, gently reaching out to stroke his cheek. "But why don't sit next to me and talk to her. I can already tell that Maddie loves you." Brooke whispers to him as he climbs up on the couch.

"I love you too Maddie." The three of us stare at him as he leans forward to kiss her hand.

"Nathan, do you want her?" Brooke's voice is barely a whisper as I pull my gaze to her and find her watching me with love in her eyes. "I feel like I've been hogging her."

"Brooke, honey, I'm fine." I shake me head, although really it's taking everything in me not rip her out of Brooke's arms. But I know that they still need time to bond and that's something that Madison needs just as much as Brooke.

"Nathan, come take your daughter. She wants her daddy." Brooke smiles up at me before securing Madison in her arms and standing making her way over to me. "Go see you're daddy, sweetheart." She places a tiny kiss on her head and slowly hands her to me, making sure that she cradled firmly in my arms before stepping back. I can't stop my heart from pounding in my chest as I look down at my daughter. She nestles tiny body against mine and her eyes drift shut. I missed this with Eli. I missed holding him like this. I missed his first words and first steps. I missed so many things with him and I make a silent promise to her that I'll never miss those things with her. I finally tear my eyes from her and look up to see Brooke, with Eli resting comfortably on her hip, watching me.

"How about I get a picture of the new family?" Rachel pipes up, grabbing the digital camera off the end table and grinning at us. Brooke immediately nods and we move back to the couch, where I sit with Madison and Brooke sits next to me with Eli in her lap. "OK. Smile." She grins at us before snapping the picture.


	30. You're Family

**A/N - Hey guys, so I lied. It took me awhile to get this chapter up but it's done and I think I like it. I have a lot of ideas floating around my head for this story so I hope you guys will like them. Thank you all for sticking with this story for so long. I never thought that I would still be writing after all this time. As always I own nothing. Please review. I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!**

**Oh! And please ignore any typos as I'm sure there are quite a few. I didn't proof read very well. I just wanted to get the chapter up. OK that's it. Thanks!**

**Brooke's POV**

I take a deep breath as I stare at the house in front of me. I'm not even entirely sure why I'm here. Well that's not true. I know exactly why I'm here. I'm here because almost losing Maddie changed everything. I hesitate momentarily before I press the doorbell and the door swings open a moment later and I find myself staring into eyes that are almost identical to Nathan and Eli's.

"Hi Dan." I bite my lip nervously

"Brooke? This is a surprise." His eyes widen. "What are you doing here? Is Nathan OK? The kids?"

"Nathan and the kids are fine. We brought Maddie home." I pause for a moment and a small smile spreads across his face. I can tell that he's genuinely happy to hear that. "Um, that's actually why I'm here. We're having a small get together, sort of a welcome home to Madison. Nathan and I would very much like it if you could come."

"Nathan would like me to come?" Dan eyes me sceptically and I can't help but laugh a little. Well, at least he knows his son.

"OK, Nathan doesn't exactly know that I'm here but…" I shift nervously and glance at my hands before looking back at Dan. "You saved my life and more importantly you saved Madison's life. That's not something that I can ever repay you for."

"I don't want you to repay me, Brooke. I'm not looking for some kind of reward…" Dan sighs for a second and reaches out to touch my shoulder. "I appreciate the gesture, but this day is for Nathan and his family and I haven't been family to him in a long time."

"They're your grandchildren, Dan. My father is non-existent in my life so you're probably the only grandfather that Elliot and Madison will ever know and…" I break off for a second and blink back tears. "I want them to have that chance. I want them to have the chance to know their grandpa; to have the family that I never had." I shrug a little. "You don't have to come Dan, but if you want to, the invitation stands. The party is tomorrow at 3." I give him a small smile before turning around and heading quickly to my car.

* * *

"Hey sweetheart, how were your errands? Did you get everything for tomorrow?" Nathan glances up when I enter the house a little while later but immediately turns back to playing with Madison.

"Um, yeah…" I nod, gently dropping the bags on the couch before making my way across the room. "Hi baby." I press my lips against Nathan's before brushing them across Maddie's forehead. "Nathan, um, I need to tell you something."

"What's going on Babe?" The tone of my voice obviously strikes a chord because he looks at me with worry in his eyes. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, no, I'm fine." I frown momentarily before taking Maddie into my arms and holding her tight against me. "I went to see Dan. I invited him to the party tomorrow." The words tumble from my mouth and Nathan stares at me in shock. "I know what you're going to say. I know that it's Dan but he's still you're father and he's still Eli and Maddie's grandfather and he saved our lives."

"You went to see Dan." Nathan continues to stare at me. "Brooke, I… why didn't you just tell me?"

"I thought you would try to talk me out of it because I almost talked myself out of it a few times." I kiss Maddie's head and gently lay her down in her basinet.

"Brooke, you shouldn't have done that." Nathan shakes his head with a sigh. "I mean, I get that you thought you were doing a good thing but he's _my_ dad and I don't know how I feel about him right now. I don't know if I want him around."

"Nathan, my parents are strangers to me." Tears fill my eyes as I stare up at him. "How many times have I been in the hospital this year? Did they come to see me once? Did they even call?" I quickly brush the tears from my face and sigh. "Haley called them, you know, after everything happened with Maddie. They didn't care. They couldn't be bothered, Nathan. Dan is here and he wants to be apart of your life. He wants to be apart of our kids' lives. I would give anything for my parents to want that."

"OK." Nathan immediately wraps his arms around me and pulls me to his chest. "It's OK. It's fine. You're right. You and Maddie wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. And Eli and Maddie should have a chance to know him."

"I just want my kids to have everything, you know, and that includes a grandfather that loves them… even if we're not his biggest fans." I look up at him, tears blurring my vision. "I'm sorry I went behind you're back I just…"

"I know." He presses a kiss to my temple and my eyes drift shut for a second. "It's OK. It's fine. We should just probably give my mom and the other's a heads up before tomorrow."

* * *

"Hi Hales." I open the door the next afternoon to find Haley smiling at me. "Come in, come in. What are you doing here? The party doesn't start for ½ hour."

"I know." Haley steps in dropping her purse on the couch. "I wanted to offer my services and see that beautiful baby girl before the crowd gets here." At that moment Nathan appears with Madison in his arms.

"Hi Haley." Nathan smiles. "Sorry to interrupt but this little one wants her Mama." I can't stop the smile from spreading across my face as I make my way toward Nathan and gently take Maddie, settling her in my arms.

"Hi sweetheart." I kiss Maddie's temple softly before turning to Haley. "This is your Aunt Haley. She's the most amazing woman that your mama knows."

"Brooke, stop it." Haley gives me a look before looking down at Madison. "Oh, she's so beautiful. Just like her mother." Haley smiles up at me and I can't help but smile back as I look as my best friend.

"Do you want to hold your namesake?" I ask and Haley looks up at me suddenly.

"My namesake?" She looks at me and I can't help but laugh at the expression on her face.

"Her name is Madison Haley." I say and Haley stares at me in silence.

"You named her after me?" She asks as tears fill her eyes and I can't help but smile.

"Of course I did." I smile as Haley gently takes Maddie and cradles her close. "I named her after her godmother." Haley stares at me in shock and I can't help but chuckle a little.

"What? Brooke, I…."

"We don't want you to feel obligated and if it's too awkward for you please don't feel like you have to say yes but ,yeah, Nathan and I would like you to be Maddie's godmother." I bite my lip nervously and Haley's stares at me.

"Are you serious?" Haley looks at Maddie slowly before looking back at me. "I can't believe you'd even ask me. I'd be honoured." Haley pulls me into a one armed hug.

"Good, cuz I'd really hate to have to change Madison's name." I laugh a little as I pull away and Haley laughs as well before pulling me back into a hug.

"I take you told her the news?" Nathan's voice pulls us apart and we both look to find him watching us with a smile.

"She said yes." I beam at Haley before looking back at Nathan, who smiles back before looking at Haley. "Thank you Haley."

"Thank you for asking me." Haley smiles as she looks down at Maddie sleeping in her arms. "Thank you for trusting me with her."

"Did you tell her the other thing?" Nathan asks and I look up at him. Dan. We need to tell everyone about Dan coming.

"What other thing?" Haley looks at us expectantly. "Guys, what?"

"Dan's coming this afternoon." Nathan says after a moment and Haley's face drops in surprise.

"Dan? Really?" She looks between the two of us. "Well… I guess, I get it. I mean, he saved your life." She glances at me quickly before looking down at Maddie. "He saved Maddie's life. I can't say I'm thrilled at the thought of spending the afternoon with Dan Scott, but he seems to be trying and that's a pretty step for Dan." She looks back at me. "So I've got your back."

"Thanks." I smile as Nathan wraps his arm around my shoulder and I watch Haley with my daughter.

"Mama…" Eli comes running into the room and skids to a stop when he sees Haley, his little eyes lighting up. "Haywey! You're here!" He frowns a little when he sees Madison in her arms. "How come Haywey's allowed to hold the baby?" He scowls up at me and Nathan and it takes everything in me not to burst out laughing at the expression on his face.

"Haley's bigger than you and Maddie's still really little. You don't want her to get hurt do you?" Nathan scoops him up easily, settling him in his arms.

"I won't hurt Maddie!" Eli scowls again.

"We know you would never hurt her on purpose, but even the tiniest little bump can hurt her." I step forward and lift him out of Nathan's arms and into mine. Sometimes I wonder how he's so well adjusted. For so long it was just the two of us against the world and so much has changed in his life in such a short amount of time, sometimes I'm afraid that it will all be too much for him to understand.

"I just wanna hold the baby." This time he pulls out the pout and I almost crack. He can make me do almost anything with that pout.

"When she's a little bit bigger, ok pal?" I look down at him and he stares back at me for a moment, pondering.

"OK." He finally concedes and I smile before kissing his forehead.

"Hey bud, do you want to come help me set up for Maddie's party?" Nathan says suddenly, trying to change the subject. "I'm about to start the barbeque. You want to help?"

"Oh yea!" All thoughts of holding his little sister are apparently gone from his head at the mere though of doing "boy" stuff with his dad. He struggles to get out of my arms and follows Nathan eagerly toward the backyard. I smile as I watch them head outside before turning back to Haley.

"He has a lot of you in him, you know." Haley says with a smile. "And more than just the dimples. There's a lot of Nathan in there, no doubt, but he is definitely Brooke Davis' son too."

"I'm worried about him, Hales." I say after a moment, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"Why? What's wrong? Is he OK?" Haley's face instantly changes to a mask of concern and she takes a step toward me, still cradling Maddie.

"Physically, he's fine." I shake my head with a sigh. "I just, sometimes I forget how young he is, you know. So much has happened in the last year and I don't know…" I shrug a little as I glance outside to where Eli is watching Nathan. "I just don't want him to think that he important to me anymore because we're here and we have Maddie now…"

"Hey… hey…" Haley gently lays Maddie in her basinet before turning and enveloping me in a tight hug. "You are a fantastic mother. Eli and Maddie are lucky to have you and I promise, Eli knows how much you love him."

"Sometimes it doesn't feel that way…" I blink back tears as I pull away. "Especially after everything that happened after Maddie was born. But thank you for saying it."

"I'm not just saying it, Brooke, it's true." Haley hugs me one more time before the doorbell rings and the two of us jump a little, startled.

"I love you, Tutor Girl. Thank you for being you and thank you agreeing to be Maddie's godmother." I squeeze her hand with a smile and she smiles back.

"Thank you for asking me." She gives me another quick hug before the two of us head toward the front door.

"Hello, hello!" Deb, Karen, Lily and Andy all come piling into the door the moment I open it and I have to laugh. "Hello, sweetheart." Deb turns to me with a smile before kissing my cheek and giving me a quick hug. "Hello Haley." She doesn't hesitate in hugging Haley and I'm glad for that.

"Hi Brooke." Andy hugs me gently and I feel a pang of regret and longing for Keith. It still bothers me that I never got a chance to say goodbye to him. It bothers me even more that I wasn't here for his funeral. Andy's a great guy, don't get me wrong and he clearly loves Karen, Lily and Luke but Keith was… well he was Keith. God, I don't even know if that makes sense.

"Hi Andy, I haven't really seen you much since you got back, how was the move from New Zealand?" I ask, knowing it had to have been hard for him to be here for Karen while Luke was going through the surgery.

"Well I came as soon as I heard about Luke although I hate that I couldn't be here for Karen when she needed me." He shook his head and glanced over at Luke's mother. "Or for you and Nathan for that matter. I know you went through so much with little Madison. I wish I could have been of some support."

"Oh, it's OK." I smile up at Karen's partner. "We had plenty of support."

"Hi sweetheart." I turn at the sound of Karen's voice and smile as she wraps her arm around my shoulder. "I was just admiring that beautiful baby girl of yours."

"She is pretty beautiful." I can't help but smile as I look over to where Deb, Haley and Lily are all cooing over my daughter. "Um, Andy, Nathan is in the backyard with Eli if you want to join him, rather then being stuck in here with the women."

"I think I'll do that." Andy smiles before kissing Karen lightly on the cheek. "You ladies enjoy the baby talk." I smile again as I watch Karen watch him walk away.

"You and Andy seem to have fallen back into a pretty comfortable routine." I link my arm through hers and Karen smiles a little as she nods.

"Yeah, we have. I'll always miss Keith but Andy understands that and he loves Lily and Lucas and that's what's important."

"And he loves you." I look at her seriously. "You've snagged yourself a pretty good one there Karen."

"Yeah, I have." Karen smiles again and then shakes her head with a laugh. "Alright, enough of this, I'm going to say hello to Nathan." Karen hugs me again. "I'm glad Maddie's OK, honey."

"Thanks." She turns and heads toward the back yard as the doorbell rings again and I make my way over. I swing it open to find Peyton and Jake grinning at me. "Hey you two." I usher them in.

"This is for Maddie." Peyton hands me a small present and I stare at her.

"You did not have to do that P. Sawyer." I shake my head with a smile before pulling her into a hug. "Thank you. She's over there being hogged by Haley if you want to see her."

"I'm not hogging her!" Haley's voice carries across the room and I burst out laughing.

"How you doing, Brooke Davis?" Jake asks me as Peyton heads over to Haley and Madison. I pause to think about that question for a second.

"I'm actually really OK, Jake." I smile as he wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to him. "Have I told you how glad I am that you stayed? I think I would have really missed you if you left again."

"I would have missed you too." He kisses the top of my head quickly. "I'm glad I stayed too. Things are going well with Peyton but I miss Jenny." I feel my heart break for Jake when I see the pain in his eyes. I can only imagine the pain I would feel if I was separated from Eli and Maddie. "So, Peyton and I were talking…"

"You guys are moving to be closer to Jenny, right?" I felt a sob rise in my throat at the thought of the two of them leaving but I understood. That was his baby. I'd have done the same thing. "Well, Nathan and I will come visit with the kids and…"

"Whoa! Brooke, stop getting ahead of yourself." Jake stopped me with a smile. "Peyton and I were talking about Jenny moving back to Tree Hill with us. I don't know if Niki will go for it, but we're going to try."

"Oh! Well, that would be great! I miss her." It had been too long since I had seen Jake's daughter.

"She misses you too and Eli and she can't wait to meet Madison. You should give her a call if you have a chance. She'd love it."

"I will. I promise." I smile at the thought of Jake's little girl.

"Hello?" The front door eases open slowly and Jake and I turn to see Luke stick his head in. "Um, is it OK for me to come in?" I won't lie. Things had been tense for a while with Lucas. Awkward but I think we've all made quite a bit of progress.

"Hey Luke. Of course, come on in." I wave in and he opens the door up further, stepping in.

"I brought a guest, I hope that's OK." Luke gives me that squinty smile of his and before I can respond he steps aside, fully opening the door and I freeze.

"Brooke Davis." Tears fill my eyes when I hear his voice for the first time in years. "Still as beautiful as ever."

"Mouth?" I stare at him with watery eyes for a moment before launching myself into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I was home for a visit and I called Luke. If I had known you were back I would have been here a hell of a long time ago." Mouth smiles at me and I practically burst into tears again.

"It doesn't matter. You're here now and it so good to see you." I throw my arms around him again. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Mouth pulls away to look at me. "Now, what is this I hear? You and Nathan? Two kids? I mean, wow, talk about a shock to the system."

"I know, it's kind of a long story." I shrug sheepishly.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere for awhile so you're going to have to fill me in on that story some night." Mouth hugged me one last time before we finally turned to the others.

"Sorry to hog him guys." I say with a smile as the backdoor opens and Nathan, Andy and Eli all come in. "Nathan, look who's here?" I grin as I motion to Mouth and Nathan's eyes widen for a second before a grin spreads across his face as well.

"Mouth, buddy!" The two shake hands and I glance over to see Eli hovering near the kitchen.

"Hey little man, come here…" I quickly cross the room to pick him up. "There's someone I want you to meet." He cuddles closer to me as I approach Nathan and Mouth. "Mouth, I want you to meet our son, Eli."

"Hey." Mouth smiles down at him before looking up at me and Nathan. "Well, he's definitely the perfect combination of the two of you."

"And this is the newest addition to the Davis-Scott household." We all turn to find Haley grinning with Maddie in her arms. "It's great to see you, Mouth."

"You too Hales." The two share a quick hug before Mouth looks down at Maddie. "Wow, another beautiful one. You're going to need a bat to beat the boys off the step."

"Forget the bat. I'm buying a shotgun." Nathan shook his head and the room laughs. I chuckle at the image of Nathan threatening some teenage boy. "Hey don't laugh at me. Like you're not going to judge every girl that Eli brings home." The laughter dies in my throat and I stare at him in mock shock before glancing at Eli, still in my arms. He's probably right. No girl is going to be good enough for my baby.

I glance at the clock and my eyes widen when I realize the time. Shit. Dan is going to be here soon. I really need to give everyone a heads up.

"Listen guys, there's something that I wanted to give you all a heads up about." I say suddenly - and rather ominously apparently because everyone is now staring at me like I'm about to tell them I'm dying or something. "My parents and I don't get along, you all know that and I want my kids to have everything that I didn't have…." I trail off nervously. I know I shouldn't be nervous. It's my house, I can invite whoever I want but Dan has history with every single person in this room and they deserve to know that he's going to be here. "OK, I'm just going to say it." I take a breath and glance at Nathan. "I invited Dan to come today."

The room is completely silent as everyone stares at me in shocked silence. My eyes meet Karen and she looks at me for a moment before giving me a small smile and nodding. Relief floods through me. At least she understands. She may not want to be in the same room as Dan but she understands why I would want him here.

"Dan?" Lucas' voice cuts into the silence. "You invited Dan? He's a monster Brooke."

"Lucas!" I glare at him angrily before nodding toward Eli, who's watching everyone in fascination.

"Luke don't…" Haley stepped forward, still cradling Madison and shook her head.

"I…" Luke is cut off by a knock on the door. I turn and see Dan standing inside the still open front door.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to cause trouble." Dan glances at Eli in my arms before looking up at me. "Thank you for inviting me, Brooke, I do appreciate it." He turns to leave and I glance quickly at Nathan before reacting.

"No, Dan. Please don't go. You're family. Please stay."


	31. How Do You Feel?

**Hey Guys! So I know that's it's been like two years and I probably have like zero readers left but here it is the next chapter of Decisions. I am so sorry that I've been away for so long. I've lost count of the number of times I've sat down and tried to write a chapter and just nothing came out. I felt like I had written myself into a corner and couldn't figure out how to get myself out but I think I may have found it. This chapter isn't overly long but I hope you guys like it. And hopefully you guys will take the time time to review. **

**As always, I own nothing. Cheers :)**

**Nathan's POV**

"You're family, please stay." Brooke sounds so eager as she passes Eli to me and reaches toward my father, placing her hand gently on his arm.

"Brooke, it's OK. I really don't want to cause trouble." Dan shakes his head again. "I'm going to go." He turns to leave again and Brooke looks up at me with almost desperate eyes. She wants this so much. She wants this for our kids. And he did save her and Maddie.

"Dan…" My voice sounds odd even to me, almost like it belongs to another person. Dan slowly looks at me. "You should stay. It would mean a lot to Brooke if you stayed."

"Please come in." Brooke moves close the front door, basically forcing Dan to step into the house. "Come meet your grandchildren." Dan almost freezes as the words leave Brooke's mouth and for a moment a look passes across his face that I can't quite place. If I didn't know any better I would say that Dan Scott was about to cry.

"I would love that." Dan smiles down at Brooke and I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience as I watch the two of them approach me and Eli. Out of the corner of my eye I see Luke storm out of the room in anger towards the backyard and Karen's eyes dart between Dan and me for a brief second before she follows after him.

"Eli, sweetheart, there's someone I want you to meet." Brooke smiles as she lifts Eli out of my arms and settles him on her hip. She glances up at me, mouthing a quick 'thank you' before turning back to Dan. "This is your Grandpa Dan."

"Grandpa Dan?" Eli looks confused and I can't say that I blame the kid.

"Hi Eli, it's very nice to meet you." I feel a tightening in my chest as I watch my father reach out and lightly shake my son's hand.

"And this is Maddie." Brooke turns toward Haley, who is still cradling our daughter. Haley plasters a smile on her face and steps forward so that Dan can peer down at the bundle in her arms.

"She's just as beautiful as her mother." Dan's eyes seem glued to the little girl for a long moment before he smiles in Brooke's direction and glances at Haley. "Hello Haley."

"Dan." Haley forces a smile. She hesitates for a second, throwing a glance in Brooke's direction. "Would you like to hold your granddaughter?"

"Oh, I…" Dan looks at me, almost like he's asking permission. "I would love that." He gently takes Madison from Haley's arms and gazes down at her again. "Hello Maddie."

Brooke is beaming as she watches them and I look out the window to see Karen and Lucas having a rather animated conversation in the backyard. I understand where Luke is coming from. I understand that feeling so well but I would be lying if I said that the sight of my father holding my daughter didn't give me some hope that maybe, just maybe, people can change.

**OTH**

"Hey big brother." I find Luke outside a few hours later. Eventually Karen convinced him to come back inside but he pretty much avoided Dan at all costs. Not that I can blame him, but it certainly has made for a slightly uncomfortable afternoon.

"Nate, I'm sorry man. I know that I'm not making anything easier for you or Brooke but I just can't be in the same room as him." Luke shakes his head, throwing a dirty look toward the kitchen where Dan is doing a puzzle with Eli.

I'm quiet as I watch the two generations of the Scott family at my kitchen table. It's moments like this when I see the man I used to know; the man who gave me my first basketball and spent all Christmas morning out in the freezing cold putting the hoop together because I begged him to. He wasn't always the monster that he became. But I don't know how to explain that to Lucas. He's only ever seen one side of Dan and it's been so long since I've seen this side of him.

"Don't sweat it man. I get it." I slap his shoulder lightly. "Look, I'm not thrilled about this either but it's important to Brooke and if he can be a better grandfather than he was a father to either one of us, then I feel like I have to at least try."

"Just be careful Nate." Lucas looks at me with a serious expression.

**OTH**

"Hey, how are you doing?" I look up to find Peyton leaning against the deck railing next to me, holding out a bottle of beer with an expectant expression on her face. "Kind of an awkward afternoon."

"I know. But it was important to Brooke." I take a swig of beer and glance at Peyton before looking out over the back yard where Eli has now dragged Dan to show him his swing set. I see Haley and Brooke sitting near the unlit fire pit, chatting quietly as Brooke feeds Maddie.

"Eli's certainly taken a liking to Dan." Peyton says slowly, looking at me out of the corner of his eye, almost like he is trying to gage my reaction. I pull my gaze from Brooke and look back at Eli and Dan before turning to Peyton.

"I know and honestly I don't know how I feel about it." I shake my head. "How do I just forget everything that he's done, Peyton? Everyone that he's hurt; Luke, Karen, my mom, how can I let him be around my children and still look them in the eye."

"You can't change the past, Nathan." She says after a moment. "Dan is who he is and he's done what he's done, but that doesn't change the fact that he is still your father and you're allowed to love him. You're allowed to miss him and you're allowed to want your children to know him. And you don't have to justify that to anyone."

"But…" I start but Peyton shakes her head, cutting me off.

"No buts Nathan. I know that inviting Dan was Brooke's idea, but I guarantee you that she did not come to this decision lightly. She knows all too well your history with Dan and Luke and Karen's history with Dan." Peyton pauses for a moment. "Nathan, I've watched Brooke's parents break her heart time and time again and she would never admit it but I know that if they showed up here tomorrow she would welcome them with open arms even though they don't deserve it because at the end of the day all she wants for her kids is what she never had. And I know that's what you want too."

**OTH**

I smile as I watch Brooke laugh with Haley and Peyton. It's good to see her smiling again. She's been through so much in the last few months that she needs to laugh.

"You have a lovely home, Nathan." I frown at the sound of Dan's voice and slowly turn to find my father standing behind me. I still don't know if I'm ready for this yet.

"Well, it was all Brooke. I didn't really have anything to do with it." I turn back to look at Brooke again and, this time, she's talking to Lucas. The two of them look like they're having a pretty animated conversation and for a second I wonder if he's upsetting her but suddenly Brooke bursts out laughing and I heave a sigh of relief. It's good to see the two of them like that. I know that Brooke has missed her friend.

"I can understand why you fell in love with her." Dan glances at Brooke. "She's a very special young lady."

"Yeah, she is." I look over at Brooke, who is cradling Maddie, whispering softly to her. I pull my eyes up to Luke and stop when I see the look in his eyes.

"Daddy!" Eli's voice interrupts and I look to see him running in from the backyard.

"What's up little man?" I scoop him up easily and grin at the sparkle in his eyes.

"Will you come play basketball with me?" He pleads and I can't help but laugh because he looks _exactly _like Brooke when he does that and, just like his mother, he knows that I can't say no to that face.

"Yeah, of course buddy." I nod and set him on his feet. "Why don't you go get your basketball." Eli nods eagerly and takes off toward his bedroom. I watch him for a second.

"You're a wonderful father, Nathan." Dan interrupts my thoughts. "He's very lucky to have you and Brooke."

"I'm just trying to make sure his childhood is nothing like mine was." My tone is harsh, I know that but for some reason Dan just brings it out in me, no matter how conflicted my feelings toward him are at the moment.

"I deserve that." Dan nods. "I think I've caused enough discomfort for one afternoon so I'm going to go. Please tell Brooke that I said thank you for her hospitality." Dan turns to leave but pauses to look back to me. "Nathan, you have a wonderful family. I realize that I'm no longer a part of that family and that I have no right at all to ask you this, but I would like to get to know my grandchildren, if it's alright with you and Brook of course."

I'm silent as I stare at my father. Even though I was expecting this conversation, or some version of it, to happen, I still have no idea what to say.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now but you know how to reach me should you decide that the answer is yes." With that Dan is gone and somehow I'm left feeling like I've just been punched in the gut.

**OTH**

"Hey…" Brooke slips her arms around my waist later that night after we've put the kids to bed and have retired to our own room. "I missed you today. I feel like I hardly saw you at all."

"I know." I breathe a sigh as I tighten my arms around her tiny frame and bury my face in her hair.

"Are you still mad at me about Dan?" Brooke peers up at me with wide eyes.

"I was never mad at you baby. I just wish you would have discussed it with me first." I place a soft kiss on her neck.

"Nathan, you have to make a decision about this." Brooke pulls away to look up at me. "Eli already adores him. Are you going to let him have a relationship with Dan? You know how I feel about it, but he's not my father and if you say no then that will be the end of it."

"I want to hate him, Brooke. I do. Some days I feel like I do hate him but then I think, he's my father and he is the person who saved you and Maddie. How do I hate the person who gave me life? How do I hate the person who saved my family?"

"You don't have to decide anything right this second." Brooke leans forward to brush her lips across mine. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forced your hand like this by inviting him today." I can see the guilt starting to form in Brooke eyes and I kiss her again.

"No, you have nothing to apologize for." I shake my head. "I should have figured out my feelings for Dan a long time ago."

"Well how do you feel about him?" Brooke asks as she moves around the room, changing into her nightgown, and I'm quiet for a long time as I stare at her. I've been trying to figure out how I feel about Dan Scott for years and in all honesty I'm not sure I'll ever be able to completely answer that question. "Nate?" Brooke's voice brings me back to reality and I shrug a little as the two of us climb into bed.

"He's my dad."


End file.
